PlanMaker DMIN Function: Find the smallest value among matching records

=DMIN(DatabaseArea, Column, SearchCriteriaArea)

The result is the smallest selected numeric value. DatabaseArea contains the header row and records beneath it. Column identifies the result field by its quoted header, such as "Amount", or by its one-based position inside the database. SearchCriteriaArea contains its own header row and the condition rows below it. Keep header spelling consistent and avoid ambiguous duplicate database headers.

In A11:D20, Amount is field 4, regardless of where a copied database starts on the worksheet. Thus =DMIN(A11:D20,4,A1:A2) targets the same field as the quoted-header form. A wrong field number or a header that does not identify a database column is not a request to scan every column.

Create the database in A11:D20, including the header row. Enter pending as text, leave D18 genuinely empty, and enter D20 as logical TRUE, not the text string "TRUE". The mixed types are intentional so that the example reveals which records contribute to the result.

Put Region in A1 and East in A2. This is the two-cell criteria range A1:A2. Keep it above the database, with no overlap: that placement is explicitly required by the FreeOffice 2024 database-function instructions. The database header belongs inside the first range; the criteria header belongs inside the third range.

Now enter =DMIN(A11:D20,"Amount",A1:A2) in J2. Leave the source cells unchanged while checking the result.

East matches IDs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9. The independent numeric-field calculation considers 10, 20, and 30, whose minimum is 10. The -5 value belongs to West and must not affect this East result. Text pending, a genuine blank, and Boolean TRUE are excluded from the numeric candidate list in this model; the native result agrees with that numeric-candidate calculation.

These small criteria blocks use the same database. Enter comparisons such as >=1 as criterion text, not as formulas that return TRUE or FALSE.

Conditions in the same criteria row are joined by AND. Separate criteria rows are alternatives joined by OR. Repeating a field header in two columns lets two bounds apply to the same field. Keep the range exactly as shown: an additional blank criteria row can change selection behavior and is not a harmless spacer.

The first and third blocks select IDs 1 and 2 as their numeric contributors, giving amounts 10 and 20. The OR block selects all records once, with numeric amounts 10, 20, 30, -5, 0, 40. Text and logical content matter separately for DCOUNTA. These row lists make the expected results independently reproducible without relying on another spreadsheet engine.

To inspect all records in this database, use the East-or-West criteria block F1:F3. The selected numeric values are 10, 20, 30, -5, 0, and 40. Their minimum is -5, not zero. That may represent a legitimate adjustment or a value requiring investigation; DMIN supplies a number, not a judgment about validity.

For an East-only range check, combine the minimum with =DMAX(A11:D20,"Amount",A1:A2). The maximum is independently 30 and the minimum 10, so the range is 20. The same calculation across both regions is 40 − (-5) = 45. Keep the same database and criteria references in both formulas or the resulting difference will describe two different groups.

DMIN does not return the ID of the record with the minimum. It also does not select a unique record when several records tie. Use a separate inspection or lookup method with an explicit tie policy if you need the corresponding region, item, or original row.

A blank amount is not automatically a numeric zero in this example. Treating missing data as zero before the calculation would change the East minimum from 10 to 0 and answer a different question. Validate how data was imported before relying on the result.

The tested no-match result is numeric 0: the South criteria D5:D6 return 0, although no selected numeric minimum exists. Check DCOUNT using the same field and criteria; a zero numeric count warns against interpreting that result as a real minimum. An actual selected zero can also be a valid minimum, so the displayed result alone does not reveal the distinction. A matched group containing only nonnumeric amounts was not separately tested.

For a no-match check, put Region in D5 and South in D6 and use D5:D6 as the criteria range. For field validation, replacing "Amount" with "Missing" deliberately requests a nonexistent header. Keep those checks separate: an empty selection and a malformed request are different situations.

Use an exact criteria range rather than selecting entire columns. Preserve genuine blanks when building this example; do not type the explanatory text from the table into D18. Wildcards, formula criteria, case sensitivity, error-valued records, and text-number coercion are not established by these bounded examples.

In FreeOffice PlanMaker 2024 rev F1238.1005, =DMIN(A11:D20,"Amount",F5:F6) returns -5 when F5 contains Region and F6 is genuinely empty. This blank condition selects the entire database in this tested layout. Keep the criteria range narrow so an unintended blank condition does not broaden the question.

The nonexistent field request =DMIN(A11:D20,"Missing",A1:A2) returns #REF! in the same build. These specific results are native observations, not an error-code specification for all malformed databases or criteria.

The examples use English function names and comma separators from the official help. Follow the separators accepted by your installed locale. Database and criteria references are ordinary cell ranges; a worksheet’s visible filter state is not a substitute for the explicit third argument. When copying formulas, lock ranges with dollar signs if they should not move.

MIN; DMAX; DCOUNT.

FreeOffice PlanMaker 2024 rev F1238.1005: selected cell J2 contains =DMIN(A11:D20,"Amount",A1:A2) and displays 10. The screenshot shows the criteria above the database, the genuinely blank Amount at D18, and Boolean TRUE at D20. Additional result rows show AND, OR, repeated-field criteria, and boundary checks.

The official FreeOffice PlanMaker 2024 DMIN reference and shared database instructions were checked October 18, 2026. They establish the documented interface and criteria construction. The first introduction release is unknown from these references; current documentation does not establish deprecation, retirement, or identical support in every edition.

The 8 selected formulas for this function were tested on October 18, 2026 in FreeOffice PlanMaker 2024 rev F1238.1005, 64-bit. The native PMDX workbook was saved, closed, and reopened with formulas and results preserved; the typed input grid was checked, including the genuine blanks and Boolean TRUE. Independent row selection and arithmetic agree with the bounded expected results. Advanced coverage ratios, combined spreads, subgroup explanations, and additional suggested formulas are independent reasoning rather than separately executed native tests. Proprietary implementation code has not been inspected, and these observations do not establish behavior for every data type, range, edition, or file format.