Cross-column conditional rules in Google Sheets - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Concept Flow

    A       B       C       D
1 Product  Stock   Sales   Status
2 Apples   50      30      =IF(B2>C2, "Stock OK", "Restock Needed")
3 Bananas  20      25      
4 Cherries 15      10      
5 Dates    40      45      

We have a table with products, their stock, and sales. The formula in column D checks if stock is greater than sales to decide if stock is OK or restock is needed.

Formula

=IF(B2>C2, "Stock OK", "Restock Needed")

This formula compares the stock in B2 with sales in C2. If stock is more, it returns 'Stock OK'. Otherwise, it returns 'Restock Needed'.

Step-by-Step Trace

Step	Expression	Evaluates To	Explanation
1	B2 > C2	50 > 30	Compare stock (50) with sales (30) for Apples.
2	TRUE	TRUE	50 is greater than 30, so condition is TRUE.
3	IF(TRUE, "Stock OK", "Restock Needed")	"Stock OK"	Since condition is TRUE, formula returns 'Stock OK'.

The formula returns 'Stock OK' because stock is greater than sales for Apples.

Variable Tracker

Cell	Value
B2	50
C2	30

Key Moments

What does the condition B2 > C2 check?

What result does the formula return if the condition is TRUE?

What result does the formula return if the condition is FALSE?

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the formula =IF(B2>C2, "Stock OK", "Restock Needed") check?

A If stock is more than sales

B If sales are more than stock

C If stock equals sales

D If stock is less than 10

Key Result

The IF formula compares two columns (Stock and Sales) row by row. It returns different text based on which value is greater, helping to quickly see if restocking is needed.

Transcript

We look at the formula =IF(B2>C2, "Stock OK", "Restock Needed") in cell D2. First, it compares the stock in B2 with sales in C2. Since 50 is greater than 30, the condition is TRUE. The formula then returns 'Stock OK'. This helps us know if the stock is enough compared to sales. If stock was less than sales, it would say 'Restock Needed'. This is a simple way to check two columns and show a message based on their values.

Practice

1. In Google Sheets, you want to check if the value in column A is greater than the value in column B for the same row. Which formula correctly returns TRUE or FALSE for this condition in row 2?

easy

A. =A2>B2

B. =IF(A2, B2)

C. =A2+B2

D. =IF(A2<B2, TRUE, FALSE)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the comparison needed

   The question asks to check if the value in column A is greater than column B in the same row, which is a simple comparison.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct formula syntax

   The formula =A2>B2 directly compares the two cells and returns TRUE or FALSE accordingly.

3. Final Answer:

   =A2>B2 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Simple comparison formula =A2>B2 [OK]

Hint: Use direct comparison like =A2>B2 for cross-column checks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using IF without condition like IF(A2, B2)
• Adding values instead of comparing
• Using wrong comparison operators

2. Which of the following formulas correctly applies a conditional rule to return "Yes" if the value in column C is equal to the value in column D, otherwise "No", for row 3?

easy

A. =IF(C3=D3, "Yes", "No")

B. =IF(C3==D3, "Yes", "No")

C. =IF(C3=D3, Yes, No)

D. =IF(C3<>D3, "Yes", "No")

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the equality check syntax in Google Sheets

   Google Sheets uses a single equals sign = for comparison inside IF, not double equals.

2. Step 2: Check the correct use of text strings in IF

   Text values must be in quotes, so "Yes" and "No" are correct.

3. Final Answer:

   =IF(C3=D3, "Yes", "No") -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use single = and quotes for text in IF [OK]

Hint: Use single = for comparison and quote text in IF [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using double == which causes error
• Not quoting text strings
• Using <> instead of = for equality

3. Given the formula =IF(AND(A2>10, B2<5), "Pass", "Fail") in cell C2, what will be the result if A2=12 and B2=3?

medium

A. TRUE

B. "Fail"

C. "Pass"

D. FALSE

Solution

1. Step 1: Evaluate the AND condition with given values

   A2>10 is TRUE because 12>10, and B2<5 is TRUE because 3<5. AND(TRUE, TRUE) returns TRUE.

2. Step 2: Apply IF based on AND result

   Since AND is TRUE, IF returns "Pass" as specified.

3. Final Answer:

   "Pass" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   AND(TRUE, TRUE) = TRUE, so IF returns "Pass" [OK]

Hint: Check each condition inside AND before IF [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing AND logic with OR
• Ignoring comparison operators
• Expecting TRUE/FALSE instead of text output

4. You wrote this formula in cell D2: =IF(A2>B2, "Higher", "Lower"). But it always shows "Lower" even when A2 is greater than B2. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. The formula uses wrong comparison operator

B. The IF function syntax is incorrect

C. The formula needs to be entered as an array formula

D. Cells A2 or B2 contain text, not numbers

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand why comparison might fail

   If A2 or B2 contain text (like numbers stored as text), the comparison A2>B2 may not work as expected.

2. Step 2: Check formula syntax and usage

   The formula syntax is correct and does not require array formula. The issue is likely data type mismatch.

3. Final Answer:

   Cells A2 or B2 contain text, not numbers -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Text in number cells breaks numeric comparisons [OK]

Hint: Check cell data types if comparisons fail [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming syntax error without checking data
• Trying array formula unnecessarily
• Using wrong operators like ==

5. You want to create a formula in column E that labels each row as "OK" if the value in column A is greater than column B and the value in column C is not empty. Otherwise, it should show "Check". Which formula correctly does this for row 2?

hard

A. =IF(A2>B2, IF(C2="", "OK", "Check"), "Check")

B. =IF(AND(A2>B2, C2<>""), "OK", "Check")

C. =IF(AND(A2>B2, NOT(ISBLANK(C2))), "OK", "Check")

D. =IF(OR(A2>B2, C2<>""), "OK", "Check")

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the conditions to combine

   The label "OK" requires both: A2>B2 and C2 not empty. This means both conditions must be true, so AND is needed.

2. Step 2: Check formula options for correct logic

   =IF(AND(A2>B2, C2<>""), "OK", "Check") uses AND with A2>B2 and C2<>"" which means C2 is not empty. This matches the requirement exactly.

3. Final Answer:

   =IF(AND(A2>B2, C2<>""), "OK", "Check") -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use AND for all conditions, check non-empty with <>"" [OK]

Hint: Use AND and <>"" to check multiple conditions and non-empty cells [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using OR instead of AND
• Using ISBLANK incorrectly
• Nesting IF unnecessarily