Getting Excel Function Explanations from AI

Excel has so many functions. SUMIFS, VLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH... You've heard of them, but aren't quite sure how to use them, right? It's tedious to search online or look through help documentation every time.

Now you can just ask AI! It explains complex functions in simple terms and creates examples you can use right away at work. It's like having an Excel expert sitting next to you.

In this post, we'll explore how to use AI to learn and apply Excel functions. We'll look at various scenarios: when you only know the function name, when you can only describe the situation, and when you want to understand complex formulas.

1. When You Only Know the Function Name

Sometimes you know the function name but can't quite remember how to use it. For example, you need to use the SUMIFS function, but you can't recall the order of arguments or how to express conditions.

In these cases, just ask AI and you'll get an immediate answer. No need to dig through help menus or search the internet.

Example Question:

"Explain how Excel's SUMIFS function works"

AI Response Example:

The SUMIFS function sums cells that meet multiple criteria.

Syntax: =SUMIFS(sum_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2], ...)

Example:
=SUMIFS(D2:D100, B2:B100, "Seoul", C2:C100, ">50000")
→ Sums D column values where B column is "Seoul" and C column is greater than 50000

See! It tells you both the syntax and a practical example. What's especially nice is that it doesn't just give you the grammar—it shows you how to use it with real data. You can immediately understand the practical scenario of finding customers in Seoul who purchased more than 50,000 won.

2. Finding Functions by Describing Situations

What's even better is that you don't need to know the function name! Just describe what you want to do, and AI will find the right function for you.

Let me give you an example. Say you have date data in Excel and want to extract just the day of the week. You often don't know which function to use. There are multiple date-related functions (DATE, DAY, MONTH, YEAR...), and it's confusing which one extracts the day of the week.

In these cases, just describe the situation to AI.

Example Question:

"I want to extract only the day of the week from date data. What function should I use?"

AI Response:

=TEXT(A2, "dddd")  // Monday, Tuesday format
=TEXT(A2, "ddd")   // Mon, Tue format
=WEEKDAY(A2)       // Returns as number (1=Sunday)

Isn't that amazing? Even without knowing the function name, AI tells you about the TEXT and WEEKDAY functions, and even suggests 3 different methods. It considers whether you need the full day name in Korean, an abbreviated version, or a numeric value, showing you options so you can choose what fits your situation.

3. Practical Use Cases

Theory alone isn't enough. You need to see how it's used in actual work to get the hang of it. Give AI a practical scenario, and it will create all the necessary formulas.

Scenario: Employee Salary Calculation

Imagine calculating monthly salaries in an HR department. You need to add allowances to base salary, subtract taxes, and check bonus conditions. It might feel overwhelming figuring out which functions to combine and how to automate this calculation in Excel.

When you describe the situation to AI, it creates the formulas you need for each step.

// Base salary + allowance calculation
=SUM(B2:C2)

// Tax calculation (3.3% of base salary)
=B2*0.033

// Net payment calculation
=SUM(B2:C2)-D2

// Conditional bonus (10% additional for 1 million won or more)
=IF(E2>=1000000, E2*0.1, 0)

Each formula comes with comments explaining what it does, making it easy to understand later. It's not just throwing formulas at you—you can understand "why it's done this way."

Asking AI to Explain Complex Formulas

Conversely, sometimes you receive a complex formula from a colleague and can't figure out what it does. AI can break it down and explain it simply.

"Explain what this formula does:
=IFERROR(VLOOKUP(A2,Data!$A$2:$D$100,4,FALSE),"Not Registered")"

AI Response:

This formula performs the following tasks:
1. Searches for the A2 value in the Data sheet's A2:D100 range
2. If found, returns the value from the 4th column
3. If an error occurs, displays "Not Registered"

Uses exact match search (FALSE) to find only precise values.

Even complex formulas with nested VLOOKUP and IFERROR are explained step by step by AI, like a teacher solving a problem. No more wasting time deciphering formulas.

4. Learning Function Combinations

Question:

"How do I sum sales only for a specific month within a date range?"

AI Response:

=SUMIFS(C:C, A:A, ">="&DATE(2025,3,1), A:A, "<"&DATE(2025,4,1))

Or more simply:
=SUMPRODUCT((MONTH(A2:A100)=3)*(C2:C100))

5. Practical Question Templates

Requesting Function Explanations

"Explain each argument of the [function name] function with examples"

Problem-Solving Requests

"[Situation description]. Recommend 3 Excel functions for this
and explain the pros and cons of each"

Error Resolution

"I'm getting a #VALUE! error in this formula. What's the cause?
[Enter formula]"

6. Frequently Used Function Categories

Text Processing

=LEFT(A2, 5)           // Left 5 characters
=RIGHT(A2, 3)          // Right 3 characters
=MID(A2, 3, 4)         // 4 characters starting from 3rd
=CONCATENATE(A2, B2)   // Combine text
=TRIM(A2)              // Remove spaces

Date/Time

=TODAY()               // Today's date
=NOW()                 // Current date/time
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "D")  // Date difference (days)
=EOMONTH(A2, 0)        // Last day of the month

Conditional/Logical

=IF(A2>100, "Pass", "Fail")
=AND(A2>50, B2<100)
=OR(A2="A", A2="B")
=NOT(A2="")

Lookup/Reference

=VLOOKUP(A2, Table1, 3, FALSE)
=HLOOKUP(A1, Range, 2, FALSE)
=INDEX(A1:C10, 5, 2)
=MATCH("Search value", A:A, 0)

7. AI Usage Tips

Asking Step-by-Step Questions

Step 1: "I want to sum sales data by region"
Step 2: "How do I extract only the top 5 regions from that?"
Step 3: "Can I make this automatically update?"

Asking with Actual Data

"Column A has product names, column B has quantity, column C has unit price.
I want to calculate total sales and also find the market share by product."

AI Response:

// Column D: Sales by product
=B2*C2

// Column E: Market share
=D2/SUM($D$2:$D$100)*100

// Or all at once:
=B2*C2/SUMPRODUCT($B$2:$B$100,$C$2:$C$100)*100

See! It creates formulas specifying column names precisely. You can copy and paste them directly and they work. It even uses absolute references ($) appropriately so that when you copy the formula down, it still works correctly.

8. Learning Advanced Functions

Array Functions (FILTER, SORT, UNIQUE)

// Available in Microsoft 365
=FILTER(A2:C100, B2:B100="Seoul")
=SORT(A2:C100, 3, -1)  // Descending by 3rd column
=UNIQUE(A2:A100)

XLOOKUP (Evolution of VLOOKUP)

=XLOOKUP(search_value, search_range, return_range, "None", 0, 1)

Conclusion

Excel functions aren't difficult anymore, right? With AI by your side, it's like having an Excel expert always available.

Even if you don't know the function name, can't remember the syntax, or don't understand complex formulas, it's okay. Just ask AI. It explains in simple terms and creates examples you can actually use.

Using AI, you can:

• ✅ Instantly check function syntax
• ✅ Understand complex formulas in simple terms
• ✅ Get recommendations for optimal functions for your situation
• ✅ Learn quickly with practical examples

The important thing isn't asking "perfect questions." Just describe what you want to do in everyday language. Ask casually like "I want to do this with that data..." AI will understand and help.

In the next post, we'll take it a step further and learn how to request AI to generate formulas directly. Beyond asking about functions, we'll automatically create even complex formulas!