Custom formula-based rules in Google Sheets - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Custom formula-based rules

Goal

Help a small store manager quickly spot which sales orders need attention by using custom formula rules to highlight orders with low quantity or high total price.

Sample Data

Order ID	Product	Quantity	Unit Price	Total Price
1001	Notebook	2	5	=C2*D2
1002	Pen	10	1	=C3*D3
1003	Backpack	1	100	=C4*D4
1004	Calculator	3	20	=C5*D5
1005	Desk Lamp	5	20	=C6*D6

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total Orders
  Formula: =COUNTA(A2:A6)
  Shows total number of orders (5).
• KPI Card: High Value Orders
  Formula: =COUNTIF(E2:E6, ">=100")
  Counts orders with total price $100 or more (2 orders).
• Table: Orders with Attention Needed
  Uses filter formula:
  =FILTER(A2:E6, (C2:C6<3) + (E2:E6>=100))
  Shows orders where quantity is less than 3 OR total price is $100 or more.
• Conditional Formatting Rule: Highlight Low Quantity
  Custom formula:
  =C2<3
  Highlights rows with quantity less than 3 in light red.
• Conditional Formatting Rule: Highlight High Total Price
  Custom formula:
  =E2>=100
  Highlights rows with total price $100 or more in light green.

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+-----------------------+
| Total Orders (KPI)   | High Value Orders (KPI)|
+----------------------+-----------------------+
|                                      |
|      Orders with Attention Needed    |
|              (Filtered Table)        |
|                                      |
+--------------------------------------+ 

Interactivity

The filtered table updates automatically based on the custom formula rules for quantity and total price. If the data changes, the table and conditional formatting highlight the relevant rows instantly without manual filtering.

Self Check

Add a filter to show only orders where Quantity < 3. Which components update?

• The Orders with Attention Needed table will show only orders with quantity less than 3.
• The conditional formatting highlights remain on rows with quantity less than 3.
• The KPI cards remain the same because they count all orders and high value orders regardless of filter.

Key Result

Dashboard highlights orders needing attention by showing total orders, high value orders, and filtering orders with low quantity or high total price using custom formula rules.

Practice

1. What does a custom formula in Google Sheets conditional formatting need to return to apply the format?

easy

A. A text string

B. FALSE

C. A number

D. TRUE

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand conditional formatting rules

   Custom formulas in conditional formatting must evaluate to TRUE or FALSE to decide if formatting applies.

2. Step 2: Identify the required return value

   Only when the formula returns TRUE does the formatting get applied to the cell.

3. Final Answer:

   TRUE -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Formula must return TRUE [OK]

Hint: Remember: TRUE applies formatting, FALSE does not [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking the formula should return FALSE to apply formatting
• Returning numbers instead of TRUE/FALSE
• Returning text strings instead of logical values

2. Which of these is the correct syntax for a custom formula to highlight cells in column A that are greater than 100?

easy

A. =A1>100

B. =A>100

C. =A$1>100

D. =1A>100

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cell references in custom formulas

   Formulas must use a relative reference to the first cell in the range, here A1.

2. Step 2: Check each option's syntax

   =A1>100 is correct; =A>100 is invalid because column alone is not a valid reference; =A$1>100 fixes row but not needed here; =1A>100 is invalid syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   =A1>100 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use relative cell reference like A1 [OK]

Hint: Use the first cell's reference in your formula [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using only column letter without row number
• Using invalid cell references like 1A
• Fixing row or column unnecessarily

3. Given the range B2:B5 selected, what cells will be highlighted by the custom formula =B2>50?

medium

A. Only B2 if its value is greater than 50

B. All cells B2 to B5 where each cell's value is greater than 50

C. Only B5 if its value is greater than 50

D. No cells because formula only checks B2

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand relative references in custom formulas

   The formula is written relative to the first cell B2, so it adjusts for each cell in the range.

2. Step 2: Apply formula to each cell in B2:B5

   For B3, formula becomes B3>50; for B4, B4>50; for B5, B5>50. So all cells in the range are checked individually.

3. Final Answer:

   All cells B2 to B5 where each cell's value is greater than 50 -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Formula adjusts per cell in range [OK]

Hint: Formula adjusts relative to each cell in the range [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking formula only checks the first cell
• Assuming formula is fixed to B2 only
• Not understanding relative references

4. You want to highlight rows where the value in column C is "Done". You select range A2:D10 and enter the formula =C2="Done". But no cells get highlighted. What is the problem?

medium

A. Formula should be =$C2="Done" to fix column C

B. Formula should be =C$2="Done" to fix row 2

C. Formula should use absolute reference $C$2

D. Formula should be =C2=Done without quotes

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand how to fix column in custom formulas

   To apply the formula across rows but always check column C, fix the column with $ but keep row relative.

2. Step 2: Correct the formula

   =$C2="Done" fixes column C, so for each row it checks the correct cell in column C.

3. Final Answer:

   =$C2="Done" -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Fix column with $ to check same column [OK]

Hint: Fix column with $ to check same column across rows [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using absolute reference for both row and column
• Not fixing column, so formula shifts incorrectly
• Removing quotes around text in formula

5. You want to highlight cells in range A1:A10 that are either empty or contain a number less than 5. Which custom formula will work correctly?

hard

A. =AND(ISBLANK(A1), A1<5)

B. =OR(ISBLANK($A$1), $A$1<5)

C. =OR(ISBLANK(A1), A1<5)

D. =OR(ISBLANK(A$1), A$1<5)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the condition logic

   We want to highlight if cell is empty OR if its value is less than 5.

2. Step 2: Check formula correctness and references

   =OR(ISBLANK(A1), A1<5) uses OR with ISBLANK and A1<5, with relative reference A1, so it applies correctly to each cell in A1:A10.

3. Final Answer:

   =OR(ISBLANK(A1), A1<5) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use OR and relative reference for correct rule [OK]

Hint: Use OR for either condition and relative cell reference [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using AND instead of OR
• Fixing cell reference so formula doesn't adjust
• Using wrong row or column references