Excel Formula Debugger

Prompt

Debug and fix the following Excel formula issue.

What I'm trying to do: [DESCRIBE THE GOAL]
The formula I wrote: [PASTE YOUR FORMULA]
The error or wrong result I'm getting: [ERROR MESSAGE OR WRONG OUTPUT]
Data structure: [DESCRIBE YOUR COLUMNS AND ROWS]
Excel version: [EXCEL 365 / EXCEL 2019 / EXCEL FOR MAC]

Diagnose and fix:

1. **Root Cause** — What is causing the error or incorrect result?

2. **Fixed Formula** — The corrected formula with explanation of each change.

3. **How It Works** — Plain English explanation of what the fixed formula does step by step.

4. **Edge Cases** — What will happen if: the lookup value doesn't exist, there are blanks in the range, or the data extends beyond the current range?

5. **Error Handling** — Wrap the formula in IFERROR or IFNA if appropriate. Show the wrapped version.

6. **Alternative Approaches** — If there's a cleaner or more robust way to achieve the same result (e.g., using XLOOKUP instead of VLOOKUP), show it.

7. **Performance Note** — If the formula will run on a large dataset, flag any performance concerns and suggest optimizations.

Also check: absolute vs. relative references, data type mismatches, and hidden spaces in text fields.