Introduction

The IFERROR function in Smartsheet is an incredibly useful tool that helps to handle errors gracefully in your calculations and formulas. Whether you’re working on a complex project or analyzing vast amounts of data, errors can happen—dividing by zero, referencing invalid data, or typos in formulas. The IFERROR function allows you to display a custom message, zero, or even an alternative calculation instead of an unsightly error code like “#DIV/0!”. This makes your spreadsheets cleaner, easier to interpret, and more user-friendly.

Practical Uses

The IFERROR function can be used in a variety of real-world scenarios, such as:

• Hiding error messages in budgets, forecasts, or financial models to maintain clean reporting.
• Providing default values for cells with invalid or incomplete input data.
• Creating fallback formulas to make analysis more robust.

Sample Example

Let’s say you’re dividing revenue by the number of customers to get the average revenue per customer. But if the number of customers is zero, the formula will result in an error. Here’s a simple example:

  =IFERROR([Revenue]1 / [Customers]1, "No Data")
  

In this case, if there’s a division by zero or any other error, the cell will display “No Data” instead of an error code.

Step-by-Step Guide

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to use the IFERROR function in Smartsheet:

1. Open your Smartsheet project or create a new sheet.
2. Identify the column or formula where you anticipate potential errors.
3. Click into the cell where you want the result to appear and enter a formula using the IFERROR function. For example:

         =IFERROR([Column Name]1 / [Column Name]2, "Error Message")
         

4. Replace Column Name, 1, and 2 with the relevant column names and cell numbers in your sheet.
5. Hit Enter, and the formula will now catch errors and display your custom fallback message instead of an error code.

Tips and Tricks

• Be specific with your fallback values: Use clear error messages or relevant data like “0” or “N/A” to make your sheet easier to understand.
• Test your formulas: Always test scenarios, including errors, to ensure your IFERROR function behaves as expected.
• Combine with other functions: Use IFERROR with functions like VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH for error-proof lookup operations.

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