PlanMaker STDEVA: Sample Standard Deviation with Text and Logical Values
Use STDEVA in PlanMaker with complete mixed-type worksheets, independently checked results, documented argument rules and practical standard-deviation examples.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
STDEVA calculates sample standard deviation while treating text as zero, TRUE as 1 and FALSE as 0. Empty cells are ignored. That makes a text status such as pending a real zero-valued observation, rather than a missing measurement.
Use it when those conversions match the meaning of your data. If text and logical values should be excluded from a referenced dataset, compare the documented numeric-only function, STDEV.S.
Availability and version history
- Introduced: Documented by the PlanMaker 2010 manual; the original introduction release and date remain unknown.
- Availability: Documented in PlanMaker 2026. This identifies a documented version, not a last-working-version endpoint.
- Scope: The current entry belongs to the 2026/NX manual family; exact FreeOffice and individual mobile-build behavior is not established here.
- Checked: October 14, 2026, against the official STDEVA reference and historical entry. The examples were independently calculated; no native PlanMaker test was performed.
Syntax and input rules
STDEVA(Number1, Number2 [, Number3 ...])
The PlanMaker 2026 reference prints two leading required arguments. Each can be a value, a cell range or an array. The examples below supply two or more arguments, including two disjoint ranges where appropriate; they do not assume an undocumented single-range shorthand.
| Stored input | Contribution to this calculation |
|---|---|
| Number | The numeric value |
| TRUE | 1 |
| FALSE | 0 |
Text such as pending |
0, included in the count |
| Truly empty cell | Excluded from the count |
The calculation uses the sample denominator n − 1, where n is the number of included observations. The sum of squared deviations is divided by n − 1, then its square root is taken.
Reproduce a mixed-input worksheet
Create a blank sheet named MixedSpread, with room through column H and row 9. Enter these values exactly; the notation leave empty is an instruction, not text to type.
| Row | Column A: original input | Column C: numeric reconstruction |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Original | Mapped |
| 2 | 4 |
4 |
| 3 | 6 |
6 |
| 4 | pending |
0 |
| 5 | =TRUE() |
1 |
| 6 | =FALSE() |
0 |
| 7 | Leave empty | Leave empty |
Do not type quoted words "TRUE" or "FALSE" in A5:A6. The formulas produce logical values; text spellings would be evaluated as zero instead.
Place these formulas in the indicated cells. Decimal results are rounded to ten places where needed; retain full cell precision for later calculations.
| Cell | Formula | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| F2 | =STDEVA(A2:A4,A5:A7) |
2.6832815730 |
| F3 | =STDEVA(C2:C4,C5:C6) |
2.6832815730 |
| F4 | =STDEV.S(A2,A3) |
1.4142135624 |
| F5 | =STDEVA(A2,A3,A7) |
1.4142135624 |
| F6 | =STDEVA(A2,A3,A6) |
3.0550504633 |
| F7 | =STDEVA(A2,A3,A4) |
3.0550504633 |
| F8 | =STDEVA(2,2,3,4,1) |
1.1401754251 |
| F9 | =SQRT(VARA(A2:A4,A5:A7)) |
2.6832815730 |
F2 and F3 agree because the original inputs map to 4, 6, 0, 1, 0. F5 excludes the empty cell; F6 includes a FALSE zero and F7 includes a text zero. These comparisons keep the numeric inputs fixed, making the different treatment visible. F8 reconstructs the vendor’s example with more displayed digits.
Check the result from the mapped values
In H2 enter =AVERAGEA(C2:C6) for the mean 2.2. In H3 enter =COUNT(C2:C6) for 5 observations. Put =(C2-$H$2)^2 in D2 and fill through D6. The squared deviations are 3.24, 14.44, 4.84, 1.44 and 4.84. In H4 enter =SUM(D2:D6) for their total, 28.8.
Dividing by 4 gives variance 7.2; its square root is 2.6832815730. This reconstruction counts the two text/logical zeros but not A7. Merely applying a numeric format to pending does not make it a numeric measurement.
Advanced example: scaling a fully mapped measurement set
Suppose the five mapped values are transformed by new value = -3 * old value + 10. A negative scale reverses the order, but standard deviation cannot become negative.
Create a separate sheet named ScaledReadings. Enter 4, 6, 0, 1, 0 in A2:A6. In B2 enter =-3*A2+10, then fill through B6. The new values are -2, -8, 10, 7, 10.
| Cell | Formula | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| D2 | =AVERAGEA(A2:A6) |
2.2 |
| D3 | =AVERAGEA(B2:B6) |
3.4 |
| D4 | =STDEVA(A2:A3,A4:A6) |
2.6832815730 |
| D5 | =STDEVA(B2:B3,B4:B6) |
8.0498447190 |
| D6 | =D5/D4 |
3 |
| D7 | =VARA(B2:B3,B4:B6) |
64.8 |
Adding 10 moves the mean without increasing spread. Multiplication by -3 multiplies standard deviation by 3 and variance by 9. This check applies because every included value was mapped first and then transformed. Editing only the original numeric cells while leaving pending as text would create a different dataset: that text would still contribute zero.
The word “unbiased” in the documentation refers to the n − 1 convention. It should not be read as a guarantee that the square-root estimate itself is an unbiased estimator for every population distribution.
Troubleshooting and interpretation
- Unexpectedly different from STDEV.S: Review stored text and Boolean values before changing formulas. Decide whether a missing measurement should really count as zero.
- Sample or complete population: Choose the population definition before calculating. Use STDEVPA for the alternative denominator; changing the function does not make unrepresentative data representative.
- Empty, erroneous or imported inputs: The short entry does not establish exact error tokens for all-empty or insufficient sets, error-valued cells, numeric-text imports or formula-produced empty strings. The examples use explicit numbers, ordinary text, logical values and truly empty cells.
- Precision and portability: Display rounding is not an accuracy guarantee for extreme magnitudes. Recheck mixed-type handling and argument requirements when moving the formula to another spreadsheet product.