VAR.S in SoftMaker PlanMaker: Sample Variance and Squared Units

Use VAR.S in SoftMaker PlanMaker to estimate variance from a sample, dividing the sum of squared deviations by n minus one. The working example below describes weekly dispatch quantities; its result is measured in squared 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.

VAR.S(Number1 [, Number2, ...])

Numeric inputs: individual numbers or cell ranges holding the observations. One range can contain many observations; a header is not a measurement.

Additional inputs: optional extra numeric values or ranges. Omit the square brackets shown in the syntax notation when entering a formula. The numeric-only examples avoid relying on text or logical-value conversion.

The SoftMaker reference displays Number1, Number2 [, Number3 ...] for these functions. It also allows ranges and arrays as input; the range-based examples supply multiple observations within one argument.

Use sample variance when the available observations represent a larger population and your analysis needs squared deviations. The n minus one denominator distinguishes it from population variance. This distinction is about the question being asked, not the number of rows or how many decimal places you display.

Variance is in squared input units. For measurements recorded in minutes, the result is in minutes squared, not minutes. Standard deviation is often easier to explain to a non-specialist because its units match the original data. Neither statistic alone establishes causation, a prediction interval or whether a particular observation should be discarded.

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 VAR.S 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: Measure spread in the working register

=VAR.S(A2:A7)

Expected result: 8.666667 (displayed to six decimal places).

The numeric count is 6, the mean is 6.666667, and the sum of squared deviations is 43.333333. Divide by 5 (n minus one); the result is a variance in squared measurement units.

Example 2: Check the denominator with three known numbers

=VAR.S(2,4,6)

Expected result: 4.

The mean is 4 and the squared deviations are 4, 0 and 4, for a total of 8. The sample denominator is 2. Keep the fractional result during later calculations rather than rounding the input values.

Example 3: Check squared units when values are rescaled

For this check, use F2:F5 containing 0, 0, 80, 80, in that order. These values are included in the practice file.

=VAR.S(F2:F5)

Expected result: 2133.333333 (displayed to six decimal places).

These four observations have mean 40 and squared deviations totalling 6400. They are ten times the numbers 0, 0, 8, 8, so their variance is one hundred times as large. Both zeros still count as observations.

Subtract the mean from each observation and square each difference. Add the squared differences and divide by n minus one. Do not take a square root when reporting variance; its units remain squared. This mathematical definition is used to check the numbers in the examples, independently of the spreadsheet software. 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 output looks much larger than the original measurements. Variance is expressed in squared units. Compare it with other variances using the same unit scale, not directly with an average expressed in the original units.

The sample has fewer than two numeric observations. The n minus one denominator is then unusable. Show that the data is insufficient rather than quietly substituting zero.

A very different value appears after an import. Check units, included records and numeric storage before changing the formula. A mixture of individual observations, totals and text-coded numbers is not a consistent statistical input. Do not average subgroup variances as though that automatically gives the combined variance.

This guide is scoped to the PlanMaker 2026 English reference. The PlanMaker entry accepts numeric observations supplied as values, ranges or arrays. A single cell-range reference can contain the multiple observations needed by the sample calculations; the number of arguments is not the number of observations.

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 VAR.S in Microsoft Excel, VAR.S in Google Sheets, VAR.S in ONLYOFFICE. These links identify corresponding measures, not a guarantee that names, mixed-data rules, error codes or file conversions are identical.

MEDIAN, LARGE, SMALL, RANK.EQ, STDEV.S, STDEV.P, 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.