Classroom Case 1

Employee Attendance Register

Build a live Google Sheets attendance tracker using SUM, COUNTIF, IF, and Charts — taught live in class with Puneet Arora.

CourseData Analytics
InstructorPuneet Arora
PlatformAplly.xyz
DifficultyBeginner
📋
What You're Building

You'll create a live attendance register for 10 employees that automatically calculates attendance metrics, flags bonus eligibility, and visualises present vs absent days — all using Google Sheets formulas and charts.

Attendance
Emp IDNameDeptDays PresentDays AbsentLateBonus Eligible
E001Anita SharmaSales2421Bonus Eligible
E002Rohit VermaTech1970Not Eligible
E003Priya NairOperations2602Bonus Eligible
â€Ļ 7 more rows â€Ļ
đŸĒœ
Step-by-Step Guide
1
Set Up Your Sheet Structure
Open a new Google Sheet. In row 1 enter these column headers: Emp ID, Employee Name, Department, Days Present, Days Absent, Late Arrivals, Bonus Eligible. Then enter data for 10 employees in rows 2–11.
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TipMake Days Present + Days Absent = 26 (working days in March) for each row. This keeps your data realistic.
2
Format the Header Row
Select row 1. Apply: Bold, background colour #1A3C6E (dark blue), white font. Then go to View → Freeze → 1 row so headers stay visible when scrolling. For alternating row colours, select A2:G11 → Format → Alternating colours.
3
SUM — Total Present Days
In a summary cell (e.g., I2), write this formula to total all present days:
Formula
=SUM(D2:D11)
â„šī¸
How it worksSUM adds every number in the range D2:D11. If you add more employees later, extend the range to D2:D20.
4
COUNTIF — Employees Absent More Than 3 Days
In cell I4, count how many employees exceeded 3 absent days:
Formula
=COUNTIF(E2:E11, ">3")
âš ī¸
Common MistakeThe condition ">3" must be in quotes. Writing =COUNTIF(E2:E11, >3) without quotes will cause a #ERROR.
5
IF — Bonus Eligibility (Column G)
In cell G2, write the bonus eligibility formula. Then drag it down to G11:
Formula in G2 (drag to G11)
=IF(D2>=22, "Bonus Eligible", "Not Eligible")
=IF( D2>=22, "Bonus Eligible", "Not Eligible" )
D2>=22 — The condition: is Days Present â‰Ĩ 22?
"Bonus Eligible" — Value if condition is TRUE
"Not Eligible" — Value if condition is FALSE
6
Insert a Bar Chart
Select columns B (Name) and D (Days Present) using Ctrl+Click. Then go to Insert → Chart. In the Chart Editor, choose Column chart. To add Days Absent as a second series, click Add Series and select column E. Set chart title to "March Attendance: Present vs Absent".
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Chart Design TipUse contrasting colours — blue for Present, red/orange for Absent. Click any bar in the chart to change its colour in the Format panel.
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Summary Metrics to Build
Metrics in I2:J8
Total Present =SUM(D2:D11) Total Absent =SUM(E2:E11) Average Present =AVERAGE(D2:D11) Max Present =MAX(D2:D11) Min Present =MIN(D2:D11) > 3 Absent =COUNTIF(E2:E11,">3") Bonus Eligible =COUNTIF(G2:G11,"Bonus Eligible")
Formatting Checklist
  • ✓
    Row 1 frozen (View → Freeze)
  • ✓
    Header row bold, dark blue bg, white text
  • ✓
    Alternating row colours applied
  • ✓
    Column widths adjusted — no text cut off
  • ✓
    Chart embedded below data table
  • ✓
    Chart has title and axis labels
⭐
Bonus Challenge

Add a SPARKLINE in column H for each employee showing a mini 3-week attendance trend. Place weekly data in columns K, L, M. Formula: =SPARKLINE(K2:M2, {"charttype","bar"})