DMIN in WPS Spreadsheet: Find the Minimum Within Matching Records
Use DMIN in WPS Spreadsheet with a complete database and criteria grid, field-name and position examples, and documentation-based limitations.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer: DMIN returns the minimum selected numeric field value among matching database records. With the complete worksheet below, =DMIN(A1:D7,"Value",F1:F2) has independent expected result -3.
Syntax and the three required arguments
=DMIN(database,field,criteria)
- database: a rectangular list including its header row. Each following row is a record; each column is a field.
- field: the header text in quotes, or the field’s one-based position within the database. In A1:D7, Value is field 3 and Note is field 4. These positions are relative to the database, not an arbitrary worksheet column number.
- criteria: a separate range containing at least one field header and a condition directly below it. Pass the range including its header, rather than the condition cell alone.
The official lesson permits both field names and positions. Names are easier to read; positional formulas must be revisited when the database’s column order changes. Keep header spelling consistent between the database and the criteria block.
Complete worksheet example
Create a fresh worksheet and enter this database in A1:D7. Leave D3 genuinely empty; the word “blank” in this table is an instruction, not text to enter. Enter the zero in D7 as a number.
| Row | A: ID | B: Group | C: Value | D: Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ID | Group | Value | Note |
| 2 | 101 | 1 | 12 | Ready |
| 3 | 102 | 1 | 18 | (leave empty) |
| 4 | 103 | 2 | 7 | Review |
| 5 | 104 | 1 | −3 | Hold |
| 6 | 105 | 2 | 0 | Ready |
| 7 | 106 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Put Group in F1 and numeric 1 in F2. Keep this criteria block outside the database. Enter =DMIN(A1:D7,"Value",F1:F2) in H2.
Group 1 selects 12, 18, −3 and 6. The smallest is −3. Group 2 selects 7 and 0, so its minimum is 0. That zero comes from an actual recorded numeric value, not an assumed empty-set default.
To check positional selection, replace "Value" with 3. The expected result for the same criterion is unchanged. Use absolute references such as $A$1:$D$7 when copying a formula should preserve the database range, and check whether the criteria reference should remain fixed or move to another block.
Advanced use: inspect a lower bound without losing sign
A group-specific minimum can identify the lowest adjustment or measurement in a numeric list. Here Group 1’s minimum −3 is below Group 2’s minimum 0. Preserve the sign: formatting the result without a visible minus sign would change the meaning of the summary.
For a one-record control, change the criteria to ID/104. =DMIN(A1:D7,"Value",F1:F2) is expected to remain −3. DMIN returns the value, not the matching record’s ID. A minimum shared by several records is still only one numerical result; the function does not establish a unique record.
The Group 2 result is especially useful for distinguishing a genuine measured zero from missing data. Keep missing observations as missing data in the source rather than replacing them indiscriminately with zero, because that replacement can create a new numerical minimum.
Errors, empty selections and criteria limits
The cited lesson does not specify a complete error table or the result for a selection with no matching records. This guide therefore does not assign an empty-selection default or an invented error code. Before using such an outcome in a production rule, verify it in the intended WPS edition.
The worked Value field contains only numbers. Text, logical values, formula-empty strings and errors mixed into that field are outside the examples; no coercion or error-propagation rule is inferred for them.
Numeric equality criteria are used deliberately. Wildcards, text prefix matching, case sensitivity, multiple criteria rows, blank criteria and calculated-condition formulas need their own product-specific evidence. Do not generalize these small examples into an unrestricted filtering-language specification. Keep the criteria range exact: accidentally including additional rows changes the expression you are asking WPS to evaluate.
Evidence, availability and compatibility
The official WPS Academy DMIN lesson was published 2019-06-05 and reviewed on October 18, 2026. Its applicability field leaves the edition, platform and numeric build unspecified. The publication date is evidence of documentation by that date, not the first release. Introduction and last-supported versions remain unknown. The source does not identify this function as deprecated or retired.
These are original documentation-based examples with independent record selection and arithmetic. They were not executed in WPS. No screenshot or cross-edition execution is claimed. Check separators, localized entry and workbook interchange in the intended client before relying on them; file-format round trips were not tested.