LARGE in SoftMaker PlanMaker: Nth-Largest Values and Ties

Use LARGE in SoftMaker PlanMaker to return the value at a chosen position when the observations are ordered from largest to smallest. The working example below describes weekly dispatch quantities; its result is measured in boxes. The official reference supports the function’s identity and purpose.

This guide separates documentation review from application testing. The expected numbers are independently calculated, not screenshots or results captured from SoftMaker PlanMaker.

LARGE(Range, k)

Data range: a numeric range such as A2:A7. Each included observation occupies a position, even when two values are equal.

Position: a positive integer such as 2 for the second observation. The example uses no fractional positions and requires enough numeric data for the requested position.

Use LARGE for the second-highest, third-highest or another high-end observation without rearranging the source records. A single requested position produces a number, not a sorted copy of the register and not the name or identifier attached to that number.

Repeated observations occupy repeated positions. This is useful when you want the top three transactions, including tied amounts. It is the wrong calculation when the requirement is the top three different amounts. Decide which interpretation the report needs before removing duplicates: a real repeated transaction is not necessarily a data-entry mistake.

A desktop dispatch workbook with one row per completed week provides the scenario. Enter the following numeric observations into A2:A7, one per row, with a header in A1. Use a spare result cell outside the input range.

Download the SoftMaker PlanMaker LARGE practice data (CSV). Import it into a new, blank sheet starting at A1, with a comma as the file delimiter and the header row retained. The CSV contains input values only, not formulas or native test results. Blank spacer columns place the requested position in D2 and any additional test data in column F. Keep observations numeric rather than importing them as text.

Example 1: Find the second-highest observation

=LARGE(A2:A7,2)

Expected result: 9.

In the requested direction the observations are 11, 9, 7, 5, 5, 3. Position 2 supplies 9. The result is the measurement, not the original row number.

Example 2: Use a position cell and a fixed comparison range

Set D2 to 3 before entering the formula.

=LARGE($A$2:$A$7,D2)

Expected result: 7.

Enter 3 in D2. The formula requests position 3 while keeping the register fixed. For a list of positions, enter consecutive integers below D2 and copy the formula down; keep each position within the numeric count of 6.

Example 3: Check duplicates, zero and negative values

For this check, use F2:F6 containing -8, -3, 0, 6, 6, in that order. These values are included in the practice file.

=LARGE(F2:F6,2)

Expected result: 6.

The two equal values of 6 occupy the first two descending positions. LARGE returns observations, not unique amounts, so position 2 is also 6.

The numeric model sorts a copy of the observations and selects the requested one-based position. It retains duplicates and signed values. The production formula examples use ordinary single-result calls; no claim is made about passing an array of positions or automatic spill behaviour. Keep stored results at full available precision and round only the final presentation when a report requires it. The displayed expectations above are rounded where necessary; a different number of displayed decimal places is not by itself a calculation error.

The same result appears more than once. Tied observations occupy separate positions. Do not promise a list of distinct values from successive LARGE calls.

The requested position is invalid. Use a whole-number position from 1 through the number of numeric observations. This guide does not rely on an application’s treatment of fractional positions. An empty input or a position beyond the numeric count needs a visible validation message, not an invented zero.

Copied formulas inspect different records. Lock the data range with dollar signs while allowing the requested-position cell to change. Also keep the input register separate from result cells so a summary value is not included in its own calculation.

This guide is scoped to the PlanMaker 2026 English reference. SoftMaker documents Range and k for this function. It explicitly bounds k between one and the number of values in the input. Use whole-number positions here; fractional-position behaviour is not part of the tested numeric model.

For the dispatch workbook, each row describes a completed reporting week. Keep partial weeks separately or document why they belong in the same group. A smaller quantity in a partial week can affect a rank, median or dispersion measure even though the formula itself is functioning correctly.

When a workbook is shared with someone using an older office suite, preserve the original file and verify a small numeric example in the destination. Notes about a function’s history in Excel are not evidence of its first supported PlanMaker version.

The displayed syntax is a readable range-capable form; square brackets mark optional arguments and are not characters to type. Formula examples use commas as in the English help. Follow the argument separator used by your PlanMaker installation.

For the same statistical question in other programs, see LARGE in Microsoft Excel, LARGE in Google Sheets, LARGE in ONLYOFFICE. These links identify corresponding measures, not a guarantee that names, mixed-data rules, error codes or file conversions are identical.

MEDIAN, SMALL, RANK.EQ, STDEV.S, STDEV.P, VAR.S, VAR.P. Browse the SoftMaker PlanMaker function library for the other published guides.

Editorial verification: The vendor documentation was reviewed on 2026-10-12. Scope: PlanMaker 2026 English help. This is a documentation scope, not a first-release claim or a test of every PlanMaker edition. Three numeric examples were checked with an independent arithmetic model. No native application run was performed. Single-value population edge cases, mixed-data coercion, exact error-code parity and round-trip workbook compatibility remain untested; they are not labelled application-verified.