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COLUMN vs ISNUMBER vs NOW

Table of content

Basic Classification Comparison
Usage Context Comparison
Basic Information Comparison
History Comparison
Facts Comparison

Usage Information Comparison
Technical Details Comparison
Evaluation Comparison
Ratings Comparison

Basic Classification Comparison

Function Category 📊

Primary classification of the Excel function based on its main purpose and usage domain, helps users quickly identify function types

COLUMN

Lookup & Reference

COLUMN belongs to the Lookup & Reference category. Excel functions for searching and referencing data across spreadsheets Click to see all.

ISNUMBER

Information

ISNUMBER belongs to the Information category. Excel functions that provide information about cells and data Click to see all.

NOW

Date & Time

NOW belongs to the Date & Time category. Excel functions for working with dates and time calculations Click to see all.
Operation Type 🔧

Fundamental type of operation or action that the Excel function performs on its inputs

COLUMN

Information

COLUMN performs Information operations. Functions that focus on retrieving and displaying data in various formats Click to see all.

ISNUMBER

Comparison

ISNUMBER performs Comparison operations. Excel functions for comparing values and data Click to see all.

NOW

Information

NOW performs Information operations. Functions that focus on retrieving and displaying data in various formats Click to see all.

Usage Context Comparison

Basic Information Comparison

Known For ⭐

Distinctive characteristic or primary strength of the Excel function

COLUMN

Column Number Retrieval

COLUMN is known for Column Number Retrieval.

ISNUMBER

Number Validation

ISNUMBER is known for Number Validation.

NOW

Current Date And Time Retrieval

NOW is known for Current Date And Time Retrieval.

History Comparison

Creation Date 📅

Original release date of the Excel function

COLUMN

Excel 2.0

COLUMN was created in Excel 2.0. Functions introduced in the Excel 2.0 version release Click to see all.

ISNUMBER

Excel 2000

ISNUMBER was created in Excel 2000. Functions first released with Excel 2000 version Click to see all.

NOW

Excel 2.0

NOW was created in Excel 2.0. Functions introduced in the Excel 2.0 version release Click to see all.
Created By 👤

Organization or team responsible for developing the function

For all*

Microsoft Excel Team

Functions officially created by the Microsoft Excel development team

Facts Comparison

Interesting Fact 💡

Unique or lesser-known information about the Excel function

COLUMN

Essential for column calculations

ISNUMBER

Used over 1 billion times daily

NOW

Updates approximately 86400 times per day
Sarcastic Fact 🤣

Humorous or ironic observation about the Excel function

COLUMN

The vertical cousin of ROW function

ISNUMBER

The bouncer of Excel functions - strictly checks IDs

NOW

The function that never lets you forget you're late

Usage Information Comparison

Formula Complexity Level 📖

Indicates the difficulty level and complexity of using the Excel function effectively

For all*

Simple

Basic Excel functions for common calculations and tasks

Technical Details Comparison

Input Data Type 📝

Types of data that the Excel function accepts as input parameters

COLUMN

Range

COLUMN accepts Range as input data. Excel functions that operate on cell ranges and data sets Click to see all.

ISNUMBER

Number

ISNUMBER accepts Number as input data. Excel functions specifically designed for numerical calculations Click to see all.

Text

ISNUMBER accepts Text as input data. Excel functions specifically designed for text manipulation Click to see all.

NOW

Date

NOW accepts Date as input data. Excel functions for working with dates and time values Click to see all.
Version Compatibility 💻

Indicates which Excel versions and platforms the function is compatible with < including Office 365< Excel 2019< 2016< etc.

For all*

Excel 2019

Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2019 version
Excel 2016

Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2016 version
Excel 2013

Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2013 version

ISNUMBER

Microsoft 365

ISNUMBER is compatible with Microsoft 365 Excel functions optimized for the latest Microsoft 365 platform Click to see all.
Operating System 💾

Specifies the operating systems where the function can be used < including Windows< macOS< and web platforms

For all*

Windows

Excel functions optimized for Windows operating system
MacOS

Excel functions optimized for MacOS users
Web Excel

Excel functions available in web-based versions
Required Arguments Count 🔢

Number of mandatory arguments needed for the function to work properly

COLUMN

~
ISNUMBER

1

ISNUMBER needs 1 required arguments Click to see all.

NOW

~
Required Arguments Type 📊

The data types accepted as valid input arguments for the function

COLUMN

Range

COLUMN accepts Range as input types Excel functions that operate on cell ranges for calculations Click to see all.

ISNUMBER

Number

ISNUMBER accepts Number as input types Excel functions that perform calculations specifically with numerical inputs Click to see all.

Text

ISNUMBER accepts Text as input types Excel functions specialized in text string manipulation and processing Click to see all.

NOW

Date

NOW accepts Date as input types Excel functions specialized in processing date and time calculations Click to see all.

Evaluation Comparison

Pros ✅

Key advantages and strengths of the Excel function

COLUMN

No Arguments Needed

Excel functions that work without arguments provide quick results with minimal setup Click to see all.

Consistent Results

ISNUMBER

Fast Execution

Functions that process data quickly and efficiently Click to see all.

Simple Syntax

Reliable Results

NOW

No Arguments Needed

Excel functions that work without arguments provide quick results with minimal setup Click to see all.

Updates Automatically
Cons ❌

Limitations and potential drawbacks of the Excel function

COLUMN

Limited Functionality

Functions with restricted capabilities, reducing problem-solving options Click to see all.

Basic Output

ISNUMBER

Limited To Number Checking

Functions restricted to verifying if values are numbers without additional capabilities Click to see all.

Binary Output Only

No Customization

NOW

Updates With Every Calculation

Can Slow Spreadsheets

Ratings Comparison

Ease of Use Score 📊

User-rated score for function's ease of use

For all*

9.8
Versatility Score 📈

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios

COLUMN

5.5

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios (25%) Functions with higher versatility scores can be used in more diverse scenarios and applications. Click to see all.

ISNUMBER

5.5

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios (25%) Functions with higher versatility scores can be used in more diverse scenarios and applications. Click to see all.

NOW

6.5

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios (25%) Functions with higher versatility scores can be used in more diverse scenarios and applications. Click to see all.
Performance Score ⚙

Rating for function's execution speed and efficiency

COLUMN

9.9

Rating for function's execution speed and efficiency (25%) Functions with higher performance scores execute faster and use system resources more efficiently. Click to see all.

ISNUMBER

9.9

Rating for function's execution speed and efficiency (25%) Functions with higher performance scores execute faster and use system resources more efficiently. Click to see all.

NOW

8.5

Rating for function's execution speed and efficiency (25%) Functions with higher performance scores execute faster and use system resources more efficiently. Click to see all.
Reliability Score 🛠

Rating for function's consistency and error handling

COLUMN

9.9

Rating for function's consistency and error handling (25%) Functions with higher reliability scores produce more consistent results and handle edge cases better. Click to see all.

ISNUMBER

9.9

Rating for function's consistency and error handling (25%) Functions with higher reliability scores produce more consistent results and handle edge cases better. Click to see all.

NOW

9.5

Rating for function's consistency and error handling (25%) Functions with higher reliability scores produce more consistent results and handle edge cases better. Click to see all.
Score ⭐

Overall rating combining all scoring attributes

COLUMN

8.8

The overall score for COLUMN is 8.8. Click to see all.

ISNUMBER

8.78

The overall score for ISNUMBER is 8.78. Click to see all.

NOW

8.6

The overall score for NOW is 8.6. Click to see all.

Alternatives to COLUMN

Known for Row Number Retrieval

Known for Formula Inspection

🔢 needs fewer arguments than COLUMN

Known for Empty Cell Counter

🔢 needs fewer arguments than COLUMN

📈 is more versatile than COLUMN

⭐ is rated higher than COLUMN

Known for Month Extraction

🔢 needs fewer arguments than COLUMN

Known for Empty Cell Detection

🔢 needs fewer arguments than COLUMN

📈 is more versatile than COLUMN

⭐ is rated higher than COLUMN

Known for Counting Numeric Cells

🔢 needs fewer arguments than COLUMN

📈 is more versatile than COLUMN

⭐ is rated higher than COLUMN

Known for Converting Row Data To Columns

🔢 needs fewer arguments than COLUMN

📈 is more versatile than COLUMN

⭐ is rated higher than COLUMN

Known for Day Extraction

🔢 needs fewer arguments than COLUMN

Known for Basic Arithmetic Calculations

🔢 needs fewer arguments than COLUMN

📈 is more versatile than COLUMN

⭐ is rated higher than COLUMN

Known for Count Non-Empty Cells

🔢 needs fewer arguments than COLUMN

📈 is more versatile than COLUMN

⭐ is rated higher than COLUMN

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