Function note

An empty factor slot in VDB is 0, not the default 2

FUNC.VDB

FN-VDB-001: An empty factor slot in VDB is 0, not the default 2

Documentation differs from behaviour · measured · recorded 2026-11-04

VDB defaults factor to 2 only when the argument is left off the end of the call. An empty slot, as in VDB(c,s,l,a,b,,FALSE), is read as 0, and the result is the straight-line amount: 90 here, where factor 2 gives 160. Text factors other than numbers give #VALUE!, including "TRUE" and "FALSE", while "2" is read as 2.

Documentation: If factor is omitted, it is assumed to be 2 (the double-declining balance method). Source documentation

Call and input routeInputsExcelCorrect valueRecorded in
=VDB(A100,A101,A102,A103,A104,,FALSE)
cell-value2		cost: 1000
0x408f400000000000
salvage: 100
0x4059000000000000
life: 10
0x4024000000000000
start_period: 1
0x3ff0000000000000
end_period: 2
0x4000000000000000		90
0x4056800000000000		—Excel build not recorded in this run; bulk captures of the same date (2026-09-29) record Excel 16.0 build 20430, Windows 64-bit, workbook compatibility 2
=VDB(A100,A101,A102,A103,A104,"2",FALSE)
cell-value2		cost: 1000
0x408f400000000000
salvage: 100
0x4059000000000000
life: 10
0x4024000000000000
start_period: 1
0x3ff0000000000000
end_period: 2
0x4000000000000000		160
0x4064000000000000		—Excel build not recorded in this run; bulk captures of the same date (2026-09-29) record Excel 16.0 build 20430, Windows 64-bit, workbook compatibility 2
=VDB(A100,A101,A102,A103,A104,"TRUE",FALSE)
cell-value2		cost: 1000
0x408f400000000000
salvage: 100
0x4059000000000000
life: 10
0x4024000000000000
start_period: 1
0x3ff0000000000000
end_period: 2
0x4000000000000000		#VALUE!—Excel build not recorded in this run; bulk captures of the same date (2026-09-29) record Excel 16.0 build 20430, Windows 64-bit, workbook compatibility 2

Basis: Ten recorded option readings (cases 00022 to 00031 of the run). A rule reading the required arguments, then factor, then no_switch reproduces all 142 retained padding calls.

Evidence and capture sources

Machine-readable note records