I created a super-simplified pic of my Q below, but TLDR: I often want dozens of formula columns to calculate ONLY if a certain (sometimes-complex) criteria is met, so I use a standard =IF(criteria , if_true , if_false) syntax.
Now because that criteria can often be complex, in order to keep my formulas neater, I'll often create an "indicator" column that returns "x" if the criteria is met, and then my dozens of formula columns will simply all begin with "=IF($B1="x","
This saves the trouble of having to include the much more complex criteria formula in the IF statement for all of my main formula cells.
What I want to know, however, is if I'm sacrificing SPEED when I do this -- i.e. I'm adding in an extra formula in an indicator column so that I can keep all my other formulas neater...but is this causing any unnecessary bloat?
*So re: illustrative image below, in a nutshell what I want to know is whether there's any speed difference in structuring my formulas as you see them in E:G vs what you see in I:K.
Hopefully goes without saying, but this is an insanely simplified version of the formulas I'm actually using so of course there'd be no speed difference in the image below. But we're talking about thousands of rows of formulas, and the "criteria" formula that in this image is just a simple ISNUMBER() check is often a rather complex multi-variable beast.
Now because that criteria can often be complex, in order to keep my formulas neater, I'll often create an "indicator" column that returns "x" if the criteria is met, and then my dozens of formula columns will simply all begin with "=IF($B1="x","
This saves the trouble of having to include the much more complex criteria formula in the IF statement for all of my main formula cells.
What I want to know, however, is if I'm sacrificing SPEED when I do this -- i.e. I'm adding in an extra formula in an indicator column so that I can keep all my other formulas neater...but is this causing any unnecessary bloat?
*So re: illustrative image below, in a nutshell what I want to know is whether there's any speed difference in structuring my formulas as you see them in E:G vs what you see in I:K.
- In I:K, the IF statement checks the same "source cell" ($A2) each time
- In E:G, the IF statement just checks the indicator column ($B2)
Hopefully goes without saying, but this is an insanely simplified version of the formulas I'm actually using so of course there'd be no speed difference in the image below. But we're talking about thousands of rows of formulas, and the "criteria" formula that in this image is just a simple ISNUMBER() check is often a rather complex multi-variable beast.
Last edited: