Calculated Columns in SharePoint 2010
Calculated columns are especially powerful for automatically generating data. Don’t be intimidated, the web is full of great formula examples for SharePoint 2010 calculated columns. Some common uses include
Adding days to a date column to calculate an expired or due date column.
Adding Number or Currency columns to get a total.
Using the Me function to automatically add the username to a field.
To create a calculated column, follow these steps:
Select the Calculated column type in the Name and Type options in the Create Column dialog box.
The Additional Column Settings area changes to support entering a calculation and specifying column options.
Type your formula using the proper syntax in the Formula text box.
If you’re basing your calculation on another field in the list, you can reference that field using the square brackets reference syntax.
For example, to calculate a Shipping Deadline, you might want to add five days to the Order Date value in another column by entering [Order Date]+5 in the Formula text box.
Select the proper data type for the returned value and other data type property options, if available, from the Additional Column Settings section of the page.
Not all return values are of the same data type as the input columns. You subtract one date from another, but your returned value is a number (the number of days difference between the two dates).
Other examples include
Adding the current username to a field. Simply type the constant [Me] in the Formula text box.
Using today as a date in a calculation to create a new date by entering [Today]+7 in the Formula text box.