IFISEMPTY function

Excel offers a large number of functions that we can use in formulas. Sometimes, however, even this multitude is not enough. All functions that are available are listed in the insert function dialog and divided into topics. The easiest way to open the dialog is to use the fx button.

Here we would like to introduce you to the IFISEMPTY function: IFISEMPTY(value; value_if_empty)

It returns the specified value (value_if_empty) if value is empty, otherwise it returns the checked value.

Problem & solution

Let's assume we want to display a value from cell A1 in cell A2. However, if the value in cell A1 is not set, cell A2 should remain empty.

By default, Excel applies a 0 to formulas that point to an empty cell. The 0 problem can be solved with a IF formula, e.g.: =IF(ISEMPTY(A1); ""; A1), . However, this approach results in two calculations taking place.

The better solution is our IFISEMPTY function. The formula would be =IFISEMPTY(A1;"") . The advantage with this solution is that the number of calculations is reduced to the minimum. Especially with large amounts of data, this leads to noticeably shorter calculation times.

Use case

The special price of some products should be changed. The price comes from the Cost column.

1. We load the data into cobby and put in the Special Price the reference to the column Cost =[@Cost].

Here we notice that the Special Price is 0 for the products without stored costs. If the products were stored like this in Magento, we would have products that would be free of charge.

2. To avoid this, our IFISEMPTY function is now used: The formula =[@Cost] is replaced by =IFISEMPTY([@Cost];"").

3. Now the Special Price is set correctly and can also be transferred to the store via Save products.