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Goal Seek Feature in Excel

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The goal seek tool in Microsoft Excel allows you to use excel to figure out what value you need for x in order to get the desired value for y. This works by having linked cells and can be done by changing only one cell at a time. This tool is especially good for financial and production analysis. I will explain how to use the tool and also a good example of where you might want to use it.
   Topics Covered
How to use Goal Seek in Excel
Goal Seek to Find Desired Net Income Value on an Income Statement
Automatically changing a cell to achieve a desired result
   Difficulty:         Intermediate
   Video:               Yes



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Similar Helpful Excel Resources

Graph/goal Seek In Excel 2007 - Excel

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One of the features I loved in 2003 version was the ability to drag/drop a point on a graph and being able to recalc that value with goal seek. That functionality seems to have been lost in 2007 version.

Does anyone know of a way to drag/drop in a graph and use goal seek to change the values?

EP

Goal Seek - Excel Mobile Version 6.1 - Excel

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I apologize if this is a little off topic:
Is the "Goal Seek" function available for the mobile version of Excel? If it is, do I need to download something to install on my phone? Thanks in advance for your help!

Josh

Excel 2007 Goal Seek Question - Excel

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Hello,

Is there a way to set the "value" within a goal seek to a cell? When I run the goal seek it seems like you can only set the "set cell" and "by changing" parts to an actual cell. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks,
Jared

An Excel Challenge (advanced Goal Seek?) - Excel

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I bet Excel is powerful enough to do this, but I'm really at a loss for how to make it happen.

Let me give an example scenario. You're trying to maximize calories at a meal. You have $10 to spend and you can have 1 main dish, 1 side, and 1 dessert.

Main Dishes
Hamburger (400 cal) - $3
Sandwich (200 cal) - $1
Steak (500 cal) - $5

Side
Fries (200 cal) - $2
Corn (100 cal) - $1
A bowl of melted cheese (400 cal) - $4

Dessert
Pie (400 cal) - $3
Cake (350 cal) - $2
Boring Cookie (200 cal) - $1

So I've got columns for type of food, name of food, calories, and price. I'd like to create a function that examines what to select from each category to maximize my calories while fitting my budget constraint. Assume we're talking about dozens of items in each category.

Any ideas? Or even starting points?

Question About Excel Goal Seek In Financial Macro - Excel

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Hello Forum members,

I am new to his forum.

I have built a financial model detailing the costs for a certain project and the way in which the costs are financed. At a certain point I am running a macro that has the objective to minimize the costs that are not yet financed by taking out debt for these costs.

The costs that are not yet financed consist of two parts, so the goal seek function needs to minimize both parts. Let's call the two cells with the costs that are not yet financed A1 and A2.

Currently, I use this function:

wf.Range("Fin_shortage").GoalSeek Goal:=0, ChangingCell:=wm.Range("srDebt")

The cell called "Fin_shortage" is the problem: if I set it to be "A1+A2" the minimization does not work. Also if I set it to be "A1-A2" it does not work. Also "A1*A2" gives no correct result, as that minimizes the product of the cells, but not the individual cells, which is what I am looking for. I want both cells A1 and A2 to be minimized by changing cell "srDebt".

Who can help me achieving my goal? All help appreciated!

Debugging Excel Macro Code Goal Seek - Excel

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I am developing some code to support implementing the goal seek function for several columns

I get the following error message

Run Time Error 1004
Reference not valid and when I click debug the following code is highlighted:

TargetVal.Cells(i).GoalSeek Goal:=DesiredVal.Cells(i).Value, ChangingCell:=ChangeVal.Cells(i)


Here is the rest of my code which does not error out

Sub Multi_Goal_Seek()
Dim TargetVal As Range, DesiredVal As Range, ChangeVal As Range, CVcheck As Range
Dim CheckLen As Long, i As Long

restart:
With Application
Set TargetVal = .InputBox(Title:="Select a range in a single row or column", _
prompt:="Select your range which contains the ""Set Cell"" range", Default:=Range("C11:E11").Address, Type:=8)
'no default option
'prompt:="Select your range which contains the ""Set Cell"" range",, Type:=8)
Set DesiredVal = .InputBox(Title:="Select a range in a single row or column", _
prompt:="Select the range which the ""Set Cells"" will be changed to", Default:=Range("C12:E12").Address, Type:=8)
'no default option
'prompt:="Select the range which the ""Set Cells"" will be changed to",, Type:=8)
Set ChangeVal = .InputBox(Title:="Select a range in a single row or column", _
prompt:="Select the range of cells that will be changed", Default:=Range("G8:G10").Address, Type:=8)
'no default option
'prompt:="Select the range of cells that will be changed",, Type:=8)
End With

'Ensure that the changing cell range contains only values, no formulas allowed

' Loop through the goalseek method
For i = 1 To TargetVal.Columns.Count
TargetVal.Cells(i).GoalSeek Goal:=DesiredVal.Cells(i).Value, ChangingCell:=ChangeVal.Cells(i)
Next i
End Sub

Ms Excel: Why Would The Goal Seek Option Be Dimmed For A Book? - Excel

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I am intrigued with a fact:
I have an Excel book from a student in which the Goal Seek oprion is dimmed
out and I would like to know why. I have also noticed that on the title bar
there is the following text after the book name: [Group]
Thank you for any help you can provide!



To Find The Final Term Marks By Using Goal Seek Function In Excel - Excel

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Question
Suppose a student takes 25 marks in midterm exams and 10 marks in assignments. His total score will be calculated by adding his midterm, assignments and final term marks. If the student wants to make his total score equal to 70, find out the final term marks that he should take by using Goal Seek in Microsoft excel.

Sample set of values before applying goal seek operation:
Applying Goal Seek to Find Final Term Marks



25



Midterm Marks
10



Assignment Marks
0



Final Term Marks
35



Total Score


You have to calculate final term marks by using the following values of goal seek input dialog box:
Set cell = Total Score
To Value = 70
By changing cell = Final Term Marks

Show the values of used cells before and after the goal seek and show the procedure.


Things that you must remember!!

v Make sure the "Set Cell" cell is set to a formula or function or cell reference.
v Make sure the "By Changing Cell" cell is a number or blank, and not a formula, function or cell reference like =C5.
v Make sure there is a link by formulas between the two cells you entered in the Goal Seek.
v Finally, make sure your formula in the "Set Cell" cell is correct.


Goal Seek input dialog





Excel Goal Seek Function For Finding Values To A Certain Decimal Place - Excel

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Hi Guys,

Just wanting to know if anybody knows of a function in Excel, that would allow me to have a unit cost price (for example: 0.5432) and then for a table of figures containing the pack sizes to determine the correct unit price that would allow all pack costs to be at 2 decimal places. I am sure this makes no sense, so I have included an example below:
My spreadsheet would look like the following:

Cell A1 (Unit Cost Price) = .5814
Cell A3 (Pack of 75 units) = .5814*75 = 43.605
Cell A4 (Pack of 80 units) = .5814*80 = 46.512
Cell A5 (Pack of 100 units) = .5814*100 = 58.14
and so on

I need some way of making cell A1 change to a value that will cause all cells A3 to A5 to be 2 decimal places or less.
Any ideas?

Goal Seek Help - Excel

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Hi Everyone !
This is my first ever post on this site and feel great to be here....offcourse with some help first up :p...

Anways...to be honest this is my assignment and I have no idea about Goal Seek...I have to write a formula...Although its simple but I am just not able to sort it out ....whats more is that tommorow I have to submit this assignment and I very badly need help....so please please help me get through this .......

the question :
Use goal seek function to deterine how many CDs with a purchase price above $12 could be purchased if the company decides to spend $100,000 in total on promotional CDs. Remember that all the promotional CDs still need to be purchased, not just those with a purchase price of $12 or more.

The rates of CDs are : (1) 13.75
(2) 12.75
(3) 12.5
(4) 12.5

I still dont know where I have to put formula and where I have to put the target value...every time i use goal seek and it says interation didnt find any result

P L E A S E help me...
Thanks and regards,
Siddhs

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