ksennin
May 22nd, 2008, 02:13 PM
My Boss was making a large, detailed Office2007 spreadsheet for calculating rebar reinforcement in large concrete treatment-plant basins, using logical functions and linking coefficient tables. (We are an engineering co. obviously). At a point, a formula, defined as needing to look up a value in a table if a ratio was below a certain value, suddenly returned an error N/A message if the rounded-up ratio reached or exceeded 1.20. However, if the ratio was typed in the reference cell, instead of calculated in it by references in other data cells, the error disappeared. We all poured over it trying to find a mistake in the formulas, but could find none. The same file in different computers showed the same mistake, including one pc with office 2003. Changing formats between 2003 and 2007 and vice versa helped none.
But I opened the same file in OpenOffice.org and the formula worked perfectly. No error message, and the values returned were correct (checked by hand), even if going past the 1.20 threshold.
Gnumeric also had no problem.
"And these are free?" asked my boss.
:)
But I opened the same file in OpenOffice.org and the formula worked perfectly. No error message, and the values returned were correct (checked by hand), even if going past the 1.20 threshold.
Gnumeric also had no problem.
"And these are free?" asked my boss.
:)