If you work in business you should know what Microsoft Excel is. Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application produced by the Microsoft Corporation. It allows businesses and its users to calculate, format and organize data using formulas and functions. Excel is part of the Office Suite, thus, it is compatible with other software applications in the group, such as Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Access.

Excel’s features give the Excel consultant the ability to perform calculations, create pivot tables, use graphing tools and to create macros. Microsoft Excel displays data like histograms, line graphs and charts.

If you want to learn how to use Microsoft Excel for your business the best thing you can do is to study and learn all the basic functions and formulas that are used in Excel. Upon learning these functions, you can easily formulate simple formulas, charts, tables, reports, etc. In excel, there are hundreds of functions, but only a handful that are most used by users and businesses. Excel consultants will want to learn most of them, but for business, a few dozen should do the trick.

TRUNC Function:

One of the Excel functions is TRUNC function. TRUNC function in Excel is responsible for truncating a number to a single integer through removing the number fractional part. The syntax for TRUNC function is “TRUNC (number, num_digits)”. Num_digits, this is the number specifying the truncation precision. Zero is the default value for “num_digits”. “Number” is the value you want to be truncated.

Syntax:

= TRUNC (number, num_digits)

Remarks:

The functions INT and TRUNC are the same with both return integers on which they both remove all decimal places merely leaving one whole number. INT function rounds the numbers down to the nearest integer based on the fractional value of the number fractional value. In TRUNC function, it removes the fractional number part. Both of these functions are different when it is using negative numbers. INT functions also rounds down the complete remaining number while the TRUNC function does not round the whole number.

By removing additional decimal places, it was made easier for you and to others to understand and read the data. Be reminded that it is very important to differentiate TRUNC with ROUND and INT.

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Learn the TRUNC function syntax.
  • Remove the number fractional part making it an integer through specifying zero for “number_of_digits “or just entirely omitting it.
  • Compare the TRUNC use with INT. These two functions are similar which they both returned integers are. However, INT function rounds down the numbers to its nearest integers. It is happened when the number is negative.
  • Differentiate the ROUND and TRUNC. ROUND (8.45, 1) = 8.5 and TRUNC (8.45, 1) = 8.4.
  • Study this example on how TRUNC works even without the specified “number_of_digit”. TRUNC (8.821) = 8. The test number of 8.821 is being truncated to 8.
  • Examine this example on how the TRUNC function works through a specific number of digits. TRUNC (8.821, 2) = 8.82, the test number is being truncated to 7.82.