Crispo - Excel Challenge 12 2026

excel-challenges
weekly-exercises
Easy Sunday Excel Challenge
Published

March 22, 2026

Illustration for Crispo - Excel Challenge 12 2026

Challenge Description

Easy Sunday Excel Challenge

⭐ ⭐Column E & F are hidden and should be excluded in the sum

Solutions

library(tidyverse)
library(readxl)

path <- "2026-03-22/Challenge 108.xlsx"
input1 <- read_excel(path, range = "B2:B4")
input2 <- read_excel(path, range = "B6:B9")
test <- read_excel(path, range = "D2:D14")

result = expand.grid(input1$Mentors, input2$Staff) %>%
  as.matrix() %>%
  t() %>%
  c()

all.equal(result, test$Session)

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook range needed for the challenge

  • Strengths:

    • The R solution stays compact and mirrors the workbook logic closely.

  • Areas for Improvement:

    • The code assumes the workbook layout and named ranges remain stable.

  • Gem:

    • The best part of the solution is choosing a tidy intermediate shape before producing the final answer.
import pandas as pd
from itertools import chain

path = "2026-03-22/Challenge 108.xlsx"
input1 = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="B", nrows = 2, skiprows = 1).iloc[:, 0].tolist()
input2 = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="B", nrows = 3, skiprows = 5).iloc[:, 0].tolist()
test = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="D", nrows = 13, skiprows = 1)

result = list(chain.from_iterable((a, b) for b in input2 for a in input1))

print(result == test.values.flatten().tolist())
## [1] TRUE

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook range needed for the challenge

    • Applies the rule iteratively until the output is complete

  • Strengths:

    • The Python version keeps the same rule in a direct pandas-oriented workflow.

  • Areas for Improvement:

    • As with the R version, any workbook layout change would require small adjustments.

  • Gem:

    • The implementation stays close to the stated challenge instead of adding unnecessary complexity.

Difficulty Level

This task is easy to moderate:

  • The business rule is readable, but the workbook still needs a few careful transformation steps.