Crispo - Excel Challenge 42 2024

excel-challenges
weekly-exercises
Easy Sunday Excel Challenge
Published

October 20, 2024

Illustration for Crispo - Excel Challenge 42 2024

Challenge Description

Easy Sunday Excel Challenge

⭐ Problem Solution Date Units Easy Sunday Excel Challenge 3 consecutive increments

Solutions

library(tidyverse)
library(readxl)

path = "files/Excel Challenge October 20th.xlsx"
input = read_excel(path, range = "B2:C16")
test  = read_excel(path, range = "E2:F5")

result = input %>%
  mutate(diff1 = Units - lag(Units, 1),
         diff2 = lag(Units, 1) - lag(Units, 2),
         diff3 = lag(Units, 2) - lag(Units, 3),
         all_positive = diff1 > 0 & diff2 > 0 & diff3 > 0) %>%
  filter(all_positive) %>%
  select(Date, Units)

all.equal(result, test)  
#> [1] TRUE

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook range needed for the challenge

    • Builds the intermediate helper columns that drive the final answer

  • 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

path = "files/Excel Challenge October 20th.xlsx"
input = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="B:C", skiprows=1, nrows=14)
test = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="E:F", skiprows=1, nrows=3).rename(columns=lambda x: x.replace(".1", ""))

input['diff1'] = (input['Units'].shift(1)-input['Units'])<0
input['diff2'] = (input['Units'].shift(2)-input['Units'].shift(1))<0
input['diff3'] = (input['Units'].shift(3)-input['Units'].shift(2))<0 

input = input[input[['diff1', 'diff2', 'diff3']].all(axis=1)].reset_index(drop=True)[['Date', 'Units']]

print(input.equals(test)) # True

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook range needed for the challenge

  • 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.