logical - Required. A value or expression that evaluates to TRUE or FALSE (e.g., A1>100, B1="Yes", AND(C1>0,D1<100)).
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Status | Approved? | Needs Review? |
| 2 | Approved | TRUE | |
| 3 | Pending | FALSE | |
| 4 | =NOT(B3) TRUE |
TRUE if A1 is NOT equal to 100
If A1=50, returns TRUE; if A1=100, returns FALSE
Same as A1<100 (reverses >= to <)
If A1=90, returns TRUE; if A1=150, returns FALSE
TRUE if NOT both positive
TRUE when at least one value is zero or negative
Returns cell value if not blank
Shows value or "Empty" message
Identify exception cases using the NOT function in Excel: orders from regions outside the approved list. The Excel NOT formula makes exclusion logic clear and readable for compliance teams and operations managers. Essential for risk management, fraud detection, and policy enforcement where you need to flag items that fall outside approved criteria. Perfect for supply chain validation, vendor management, customer screening, and any scenario where exceptions require manual review or special handling. This approach helps you catch outliers and enforce business rules efficiently.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Order ID | Region | Amount | Review Required? |
| 2 | ORD-001 | US | $1,200 | |
| 3 | =IF(NOT(OR(B2="US",B2="CA",B2="UK")),"🚨 REVIEW","✅ OK") ✅ OK | |||
| 4 | ORD-002 | CA | $850 | ✅ OK |
| 5 | ORD-003 | RU | $2,500 | 🚨 REVIEW |
| 6 | ORD-004 | UK | $1,800 | ✅ OK |
| 7 | ORD-005 | CN | $3,200 | 🚨 REVIEW |
Use the NOT function in Excel to identify incomplete records where required fields are missing. The Excel NOT formula combined with ISBLANK detects empty cells that should contain data. Essential for data quality teams, database administrators, and analysts ensuring complete datasets before processing. Helps prevent downstream errors in reports, analyses, and automated workflows. This validation pattern is your first line of defense against incomplete data - catching missing values before they cause problems in financial reports, customer databases, or inventory systems.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name | Phone | Complete? | |
| 2 | John Smith | john@ex.com | 555-1234 | |
| 3 | =IF(NOT(OR(ISBLANK(B2),ISBLANK(C2))),"✅ Complete","⚠️ Missing") ✅ Complete | |||
| 4 | Jane Doe | jane@ex.com | ⚠️ Missing | |
| 5 | Bob Lee | 555-5678 | ⚠️ Missing |
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=NOT(A1>0)Always use the NOT function in Excel with explicit logical expressions (comparisons, AND, OR, IF results). It is designed for TRUE/FALSE values. Use comparison operators (=, >, <, <>) to convert values into clear logical conditions before applying NOT. This makes your formula more readable and prevents unexpected behavior.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=IF(A1<>B1, "Different", "Same")Use the not-equal operator (<>) instead of NOT(A1=B1). The Excel NOT function is powerful for complex logic with AND/OR, but for simple comparisons, direct operators are clearer. Reserve NOT for inverting compound conditions or when expressing exclusion logic makes your formula more readable.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=AND(A1>0, B1>=100)Simplify double negatives by rewriting the logic positively. NOT(B1<100) is the same as B1>=100. The NOT function in Excel is most valuable when it makes logic clearer, not more complex. Apply De Morgan's laws to simplify nested NOT statements: NOT(AND(x,y)) = OR(NOT(x),NOT(y)).
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