REPORTING & ANALYSIS · ORIGINAL EXERCISE
Mind the shortfall
Return the absolute difference between actual and planned Marketing spend (row 4).
This quest practices ABS using a fictional business dataset. Read the sheet below, then enter the interactive quest to write and check your formula.
| Category | Planned | Actual | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 2400 | 2400 | Ops |
| Software | 900 | 1120 | IT |
| Marketing | 1800 | 2150 | Sales |
| Travel | 700 | 480 | Sales |
| Training | 600 | 450 | HR |
| Supplies | 350 | 410 | Ops |
Hints to get you started
- Absolute value removes a minus sign.
- Calculate the difference first.
- Use ABS around C4-B4.
Show the worked solution
=ABS(C4-B4)ABS returns the size of a difference regardless of direction.
Make the skill stick
After solving the task, explain what each reference does and why the formula answers the business question. Try the workbook download inside the quest to practice in your own spreadsheet app.
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