Managing Formatting Rules

Icon sets place a small visual symbo: a traffic light, an arrow, a flag — directly inside the cell. The reader doesn't need to read the number to understand whether something is good, borderline, or problematic.

Date-based Rules

Date-based rules are most useful for deadlines, due dates, and payment schedules. A payment deadline column can highlight dates that fall this week in amber, dates that have already passed in red, and dates more than a month away remain unformatted.

Task

1. Apply an Icon Set to Total Sales (KPI)

   Locate the Total Sales value in the Summary section. Go to Conditional Formatting → Icon Sets → More Rules.
   
   

   Set thresholds based on the goal of 3000 USD:

   • Green → value ≥ 3000
   • Yellow → around 3000 (e.g., ≥ 2500)
   • Red → value < 2500

   Confirm the icon reflects the current Total Sales value.

2. Display only the icon

   Open Conditional Formatting → Manage Rules and edit the Icon Set rule. Enable Show Icon Only.
   
   

   Confirm that only the icon is visible (no number).

3. Test dynamic behavior

   Add a new order to increase Total Sales. Return to the Summary section.
   
   

   Confirm the icon updates automatically based on the new total.

4. Apply a date-based rule

   Select the Payment Deadline column. Go to Conditional Formatting → Highlight Cells Rules → A Date Occurring.
   
   

   Choose a condition such as This Week or Next Week.
   
   

   Confirm that only matching dates are highlighted.

5. Review and manage rules

   Open Conditional Formatting → Manage Rules. Locate both rules (Icon Set and Date rule).
   
   

   Confirm you can edit thresholds, change formatting, and delete or reorder rules.