Three Dimensional Excel Formulas
3 dimensional Excel formulas are covered in the SE3 Super Excel Modeling & Array Formula course, if you are interested in learning it
The social distancing due to COVID may have restricted our physical movement and whereabouts, but we do not have to restrict our Excel learning by the three dimensional boundaries. Excel learning could be a transcendental experience.
I first felt that some years ago, when I was designing the Super Excel Modeling & Array Formulas course. As I was writing notes and explaining the Excel formulas using three dimensional reference, my mind went from the two dimensions reference, to three dimensional reference, and my own imaginative four dimensional reference, five dimensional reference, and quickly realized the dimensions were infinite, just as numbers have no end. Dimensions have no end either. So is our universe, it has no end.
A 2 dimensional range reference with 7 rows and 8 columns has height of 7 and width of 8.
A 3 dimensional range reference with 7 rows and 8 columns and across 6 worksheets, has height of 7 and width of 8 and depth of 6.
A 4 dimensional range reference with 7 rows and 8 columns and across 6 worksheets spanning 5 workbooks, has height of 7 and width of 8 and depth of 6 and workbook depth of 5.
A 5 dimensional range reference with 7 rows and 8 columns and across 6 worksheets spanning 5 workbooks extending 4 folders, has height of 7 and width of 8 and depth of 6 and workbook depth of 5 and folder depth of 4.
A 6 dimensional range reference with 7 rows and 8 columns and across 6 worksheets spanning 5 workbooks extending 4 folders transcending 3 upper level folders, has height of 7 and width of 8 and depth of 6 and workbook depth of 5 and folder depth of 4 and upper level folder depth of 3.
From here, it can go on forever. You can always add another dimension of folders on top of each dimension of folders. I sometimes wondered when Microsoft Excel team will develop 4 dimensional reference so we can calculate multiple workbooks of multiple worksheets in one single formula, or 5 dimensional reference so we can calculate multiple folders of multiple workbooks of multiple worksheets in one single formula. Then I said to myself: “Who do I think Microsoft is? God?”
This reminds me my younger son’s never tiring repeated conversations many of the nights before he went to bed.
“Oh, Daddy, we were meant to be together! What if I go to my bed?”
“We are still together, as we are still in the same house.”
“What if I go to another house?”
“We are still on the same street.”
“What if I go to another street?”
“We are still in the same neighborhood.”
“What if I go to another neighborhood?”
“We are still in the same town.”
“What if I go to another town?”
“We are still in the same region.”
“What if I go to another region?”
“We are still in the same province.”
“What if I go to another province?”
“We are still in the same country.”
“What if I go to another country?”
“We are still in the same continent.”
“What if I go to another continent?”
“We are still in the same planet.”
“What if I go to another planet?”
“We are still in the same galaxy.”
“What if I go to another galaxy?”
“We are still in the same universe.”
“What if I go to another universe?”
“We are still in the same multiverse.”
“What if I go to another multiverse?”
“We are still in the same consciousness of ONE. We are always together and connected with an invisible string.“
The dimensional phenomena are everywhere in our life, and definitely it is the case in Excel too. When I talked about building Excel models, I would suggest, in order to make it easier to conceptualize three dimensional structure, we can view the second worksheet as an extension of the first worksheet by widening the width dimension of the first worksheet. This will enable us to transcend our mind from the two dimensional single worksheet, by adding many more layers of worksheets, and still make sense of them as a super wide two dimensional worksheet, and all the worksheets are still connected and being together with a common thread – LOVE.
Oops, no! I guess, Excel does not really know “love”. Excel is not a sentient being.
Actually, I consider Excel as an extension of our brain, our mind, and our consciousness. Even though our brain is very powerful, can process calculations in our subconscious much faster than the most advanced computer, and stores eons of memory (data) in our subconscious, but somehow, they are being locked down and buried at the very bottom of our consciousness, and not being utilized much. And we use Excel to help our brain to do large calculations, to guide our personal finance decisions, guide business decisions, guide economy re-opening decisions.
If we are sentient, then Excel as the extension of our brain, is also sentient. Actually, over a decade teaching Excel, I have found so much joy, happiness, fulfillment. Some activities might be draining our energy, and some activities recharge our energy. To me, teaching Excel energizes me.
I remember quite some years ago while I was still working at LCBO full time. One winter Wednesday early morning, just after midnight, my young son developed high fever, so I took him to downtown Toronto Sick Children Hospital. In the past, we could go in and get checked, and leave within 2 to 5 hours. This time, we did not get to leave until noon 12:00 PM. I had to call my workplace for one day off. When I was driving home it was snowing quiet heavy. It took much longer than usual to drive back to Oakville.
I anticipated it would take even longer during the rush hour to drive from Oakville to North York Toronto for my regular Wednesday evening 7:00 PM Super Excel class. After getting my son home, and having a quick lunch, I decided to leave home right after for North York Toronto. It took me nearly 4 hours to get to North York on this snowy day, and I only arrived just in time for my class with no opportunity for supper. Despite a sleepless night before in the hospital, more than 5 hours crawl driving on the highway during the day, and with an empty stomach, once I started teaching, I found myself full of energy and passion throughout the entire 3 hours class.
Maybe Excel itself is not sentient, as an extension of me, it allowed joy, happiness, and energy flow through me.
During the COVID global lockdown, I had people from China, California, New Brunswick, and various parts of Great Toronto Area attending my Super Excel classes live online. We were located at different latitudes and longitudes and time zones on the planet of earth. When I started the class in the evening after dinner, the attendee from China would say good morning to me, and the California attendee would be wondering what to cook for dinner after the class.
In our three dimensional earth, we were all separated, none of our coordinates overlapped. Somehow, thanks to the Zoom application and internet connection, we transcended the physical boundaries and invisible time zone boundaries, and converged at the only space of ONE shared screen and the only moment of NOW. We learned, we shared, we grew, and then diverged from that ONE convergence of consciousness, back to our own individual realm of reality.
Our physical bodies exist in the three dimensional world, but our essence – the consciousness, does not exist within any boundaries. It’s infinite. The Excel knowledge and skills definitely exist in our consciousness, we can raise it, sharpen it, fine-tune it, improve it regardless where we are.
