Excel: Make Functions Act Like Values

Key insights

• Functions as values
  Excel can treat functions like regular values you can name, pass around, and store. This lets you assign a formula to a name and reuse it like text or numbers. The video shows how this works in both the worksheet and Power Query and explains simplifying anonymous functions with eta reduction.
• Dynamic arrays and spill behavior
  One formula can now return many results that "spill" into neighboring cells automatically. This removes the need to copy formulas down a column and makes range calculations clearer and faster.
• Value tokens
  Excel shows small visual cues for rich data types so you can see at a glance which cells hold special or structured values. That improves clarity when mixing text, numbers, and complex data in a sheet.
• Power Query integration
  The same functions-as-values concept applies in Power Query, enabling more flexible query transformations. You can pass function values between steps and build reusable, modular query logic.
• Key reshaping and array functions
  Built-in functions like UNIQUE, FILTER, SORT, TOCOL, TOROW, and WRAPROWS/WRAPCOLS let you reshape and filter data without helper columns. New aggregation tools such as GROUPBY replace some PivotTable tasks inside formulas.
• Practical benefits
  These features reduce errors, speed up analysis, and simplify spreadsheet design. AI-assisted tools like Copilot can suggest or build formulas, helping users write accurate formulas faster.

Introduction

Excel Off The Grid released a concise YouTube walkthrough that explores a striking idea: functions as values. In plain terms, the channel shows how Excel formulas can be treated like ordinary values and even stored or passed around like text or numbers. As a result, the video challenges long-held assumptions about how formulas must behave in a sheet. Moreover, it sketches how the same pattern applies to Power Query, making the concept relevant across modern Excel tooling.

What the Video Demonstrates

First, the presenter runs a basic calculation to remind viewers of standard behavior, and then quickly moves to the key shift: assigning functions to names and using them like values. The demonstration emphasizes dynamic arrays and the idea of a formula returning multiple results that "spill" into adjacent cells, which supports the mental model for treating functions as data. Then, the video introduces simple transformations such as applying small reductions to make functions easier to reuse. Consequently, viewers see how a function reference can be passed and invoked from other formulas, which feels like programming inside a spreadsheet.

Next, the host applies a technique called eta reduction to shorten function expressions and increase clarity, especially when nesting operations. This technique shows that concise function definitions not only read better but often run with less accidental complexity. In addition, the presenter maps the same pattern into Power Query, demonstrating cross-tool consistency. Therefore, the idea is not just theoretical; it affects practical workflows in both the cell grid and ETL processes.

Practical Demonstrations and Examples

The video uses hands-on examples to make the abstract idea tangible, including simple arithmetic and then advancing to reshaping functions that return arrays. For instance, functions like UNIQUE(), TOCOL() and WRAPROWS() are shown operating naturally with arrays that spill, which helps viewers understand how to reshape and aggregate data without repetitive formulas. Furthermore, the presenter shows how assigning a function to a name simplifies reuse, so teams can centralize logic rather than replicate it across many cells. As a result, workbooks become easier to audit and modify when business rules change.

Crucially, the video walks through applying the same function-as-value mindset in Power Query, illustrating how query steps can reference function definitions and be reused across transformations. This cross-application reuse reduces duplication and fosters clearer ETL design. At the same time, the examples remain practical and measured, avoiding excessive abstraction that could confuse users who are still warming up to dynamic arrays. Consequently, the tutorial balances innovation with pragmatic demonstrations that viewers can replicate in their own files.

Tradeoffs and Technical Challenges

Although the feature set is powerful, the video candidly highlights tradeoffs that users must weigh. For example, treating functions as values increases flexibility but can also obscure the flow of calculations, which complicates debugging when formulas nest deeply. Likewise, using named functions to centralize logic reduces duplication, yet it introduces a dependency surface: a single change can affect many results, so governance and testing become more important.

Performance also surfaces as a concern in the video. While dynamic arrays and spill ranges simplify many tasks, very large or complex function references can slow recalculation. Moreover, Power Query reuse improves maintainability, but designers must manage query folding and refresh behavior to avoid unexpected load on data sources. Hence, the presenter stresses careful design and stepwise adoption to manage these tradeoffs effectively.

Implications for Users and Teams

Looking ahead, the video suggests that spreadsheets and queries will look more like small programs, which benefits users who adopt modular practices. Consequently, users gain the ability to create libraries of named functions and apply consistent business logic across reports. In addition, the rise of visual cues and richer data types, shown briefly in the video, helps teams identify when a cell holds more than a scalar value.

However, this shift requires new skills: teams must document named functions, test them, and establish review practices similar to code. Furthermore, training becomes important because the technique is advanced and can be mind-bending at first, as the presenter notes. Therefore, gradual rollout, paired with clear examples, will likely yield the best balance between innovation and reliability.

Conclusion

In summary, the Excel Off The Grid video presents a compelling case for thinking of functions as values, and it backs that claim with practical demos in both the cell grid and Power Query. The content mixes theory with applied examples and also flags the tradeoffs that come with increased modularity and reuse. For spreadsheet professionals, the ideas offer a path to cleaner, more maintainable workbooks, though they also demand stronger governance and testing. Ultimately, the video serves as a useful roadmap for teams ready to evolve their Excel practices toward more programmatic design.

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