Excel - IF Function Problem - Expert Solution

Question description:
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I have an excel query on a gsheet that only works if a date is entered in to an unrelated cell.
Solved by V. A. in 60 mins
This is the chat thread from the real Excelchat help session. It contains no private user information.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:49
Hello, I understand that your query only works when there's a value in an unrelated cell, right?
User 07/06/2018 - 08:49
Hi, there is a query on the do not edit tab. It pulls in info from every tab. It all works except for info from the Barclays tab, which pulls all the info in to one cell.
User 07/06/2018 - 08:49
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UcU4zFGkqvhhKM509CEQDYJwQdK37eArGVKlo8NyyKk/edit#gid=1830709471
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:49
Alright, I'll look into this. Before we proceed, this is a reminder that our policy is 1 question per session so for this session we'll be resolving this particular question. We also currently do not support VBA/Macro solutions.
User 07/06/2018 - 08:49
If I put a date on the Barclays tab, in cell I5, the query works. I don't want a date in that cell yet
User 07/06/2018 - 08:50
All the other sheets work fine
User 07/06/2018 - 08:50
If you cannot fix, do I still need to pay?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:50
Can you share the sheet to everyone so I can access it?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:50
The first session is free.
User 07/06/2018 - 08:50
Ok sent
User 07/06/2018 - 08:50
Not sent, meant shared
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:51
Can I have the shared link? The link above needs permission.
User 07/06/2018 - 08:51
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UcU4zFGkqvhhKM509CEQDYJwQdK37eArGVKlo8NyyKk/edit#gid=1830709471
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:51
Still needs permission.
User 07/06/2018 - 08:53
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UcU4zFGkqvhhKM509CEQDYJwQdK37eArGVKlo8NyyKk/edit?usp=sharing
User 07/06/2018 - 08:53
Ok try now please
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:53
Thank you. Alright, though we normally support Excel, let me try and figure this one out. I'll need a few minutes.
User 07/06/2018 - 08:54
Ta. So you should just need the Do not edit tab, the query formula is in A:2
User 07/06/2018 - 08:54
Then the Barc tab
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:54
Is the Do Not Edit tab supposed to have formulas?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:55
I'm looking at the previously referred to cell of I5 in both sheets and see nothing in there.
User 07/06/2018 - 08:55
Yes, do not edit has a query in A2
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:55
The one you shared doesn't.
User 07/06/2018 - 08:55
And it works, pulling in info from every other tab, except the barclays tab. On do not edit, row 3, it pulls in all the info but only in 1 row
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:55
I only have View capabilities in your sheet.
User 07/06/2018 - 08:56
Ok try now :)
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:56
Got it now. So which cell should have a date before it works?
User 07/06/2018 - 08:57
So on the barc tab, its already how I want it, with only 1 date. But if I add a date to Barclays I5, the Do Not Edit query works
User 07/06/2018 - 08:57
but I don't want a date in I5 yet as the job isn;t complete
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:58
By Barc tab, you meant Barclays, right? So if there's not date in i5 then it stops working.
User 07/06/2018 - 08:58
Correct
User 07/06/2018 - 08:59
Adding a date to I5 makes it work. But I don't want a date there yet. This isn't an issue on any other tab.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:59
Can you tell me what exactly happens when you have a date and no date?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:59
What changes?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 08:59
I mean, define "work".
User 07/06/2018 - 09:00
On the do not edit tab, you can see each row has some info in it. Each row relates to a separate row on each tab. However in row 3, it pulls in every row of the barclays tab, all in to row 3
User 07/06/2018 - 09:00
So when I add a date to I5 Barclays, it splits out the barclays info on the do not edit tabe, in to individual rows
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:01
Okay. I can see that. One moment.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:03
A few more minutes.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:03
Sure
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:07
It doesn't look like it is the sheet that is causing the problem but rather the data in Barclay's.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:08
If you copy the data from Barclay's and paste it in another sheet, keeping the tab name, it will do the same.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:08
Yup. I can't see why the data is bad though?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:10
To be precise, it's the data in row 13 that's causing it but I can't spot what's different with that row either.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:11
Ok
User 07/06/2018 - 09:13
It's not just that row, I have just tried deleting that data and putting a date in the row below, and that breaks it also
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:13
It seems that it has something to do with the Date Started and Date completed column.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:13
If you delete either of those values, it will work.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:14
Yup, but I need that info :) . And it works on every other tab
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:15
This is mind boggling.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:16
Still looking though.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:16
And no, it doesn't work on the other sheet. The other sheet has the same problem.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:17
What sheet?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:17
Any sheet.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:17
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1APH5_dwMhEXDXimoNG2SUkbmS4WnOUzLwVT7G0ZlC60/edit?usp=sharing
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:17
Here's a copy I made so I can play with your file.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:18
:(
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:18
Did you see the data in Risk?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:18
I made it so it looks exactly like Barclays and the same thing happened.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:18
Hmmm
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:19
So this confirms that the problem can appear even in other sheets.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:19
The question remains as to why.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:19
Yup
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:19
It's going to be really difficult trying to narrow it down.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:20
Are the invoice number supposed to be the same?
User 07/06/2018 - 09:20
Yup, 1 invoice covering a few jobs
User 07/06/2018 - 09:21
Changing doesn't fix
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:21
It actually does but it doesn't make any sense. Look at the Rizk tab Invoice number.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:21
I changed it to plain numbers and the Do Not Edit sheet works.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:22
I honestly don't think this is a problem with your formula or your data but I think we caught a very rare bug for Sheets.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:22
Because, like what you mentioned, those columns aren't related to the query at all.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:23
So it doesn't make sense that they affect the outcome of the query.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:23
Haha
User 07/06/2018 - 09:23
But it's still not working fully?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:24
Changing the Invoice to letters doesn't work.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:24
Changing them to numbers will work though so it doesn't make any sense.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:26
I have changed the barclays in my link to numbers and it still doesn;'t work
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:26
Which is why this is mind boggling.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:26
It's not making any sense.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:26
We can't even narrow down what the problem is because it randomly works.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:28
Putting letters in still works in Rizk, think it's more the location of the cell
User 07/06/2018 - 09:28
Do Gsheets have a contact?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:29
https://gsuite.google.com/intl/en_ph/support/
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:29
This one is for my country, so you may want to change the en_ph part to yours
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:29
Or it may automatically do that.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:31
So it doesn't look like there's anything we can do about this bug so I guess the solution is to contact Google Sheets support team.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:31
Ok thank you for trying! I will contact google sheets
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:31
Even the simplest one:
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:31
=query(Query(Barclays!B5:P50,"where B<>''" ))
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:31
Does not work as intendedn.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:32
Maybe you can start with that.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:32
Tell them that the query isn't working as expected.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:33
Removing either the start date or end date fixes it but I don't really see the connection.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:33
Yup, I will remove the start date in the interim
User 07/06/2018 - 09:33
And contact Gsheet. Silly bug :)
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:34
Removing everything except those dates doesn't do anything so I guess we narrowed it down to those dates.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:35
Now, you introduced another randomness haha.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:35
?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:35
When it is a date, it stops on that row, if it's letters, it takes everything.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:35
If it's a date, you'll notice that it only groups all rows that are before that row with date.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:36
Delete and reinsert the columnb?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:36
I think that's worth a try.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:36
Nope
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:37
Oh wait.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:39
Give me a few minutes. I'm just trying out something.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:39
Sure
User 07/06/2018 - 09:39
Good luck :p
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:40
Nevermind, it didn't affect it at all. Haha.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:41
Haha ok, Darn!
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:42
I don't know why it's working right now with dates.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:43
It's working, right?
User 07/06/2018 - 09:44
Yeah...
User 07/06/2018 - 09:44
But for no reason
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:44
And as much as I'd like to take credit, I really have no idea why lol.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:45
Broke it :)
User 07/06/2018 - 09:45
Copied in my barclays tab
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:45
I copied from the Barclays tab as well and it is working.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:46
But when I copied the entire row from the barclay's tab, it stopped working.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:47
Our session is about to expire, by the way and there's nothing I can do to extend it from my end.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:47
What do you mean copied from the row?
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:47
I guess, the only real solution to this is to contact Gsheets support.
User 07/06/2018 - 09:47
Ok
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:48
Just try to give them the details of what we tried so far.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:48
I'd appreciate a 5-star rating and your feedback if you think I still deserve it.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:48
I'll be giving you high ratings as well so the other experts will know that you are a good client and should be taken care of.
Excelchat Expert 07/06/2018 - 09:48
Thank you for contacting Got It Pro. Have an awesome day!

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