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If you sell, manage clients, or run a team, you live and die by timelines: SLAs, campaign dates, onboarding windows, invoice terms. The NETWORKDAYS and NETWORKDAYS.INTL functions in Excel and Google Sheets turn messy calendars into hard numbers: how many working days a deal sat in pipeline, how long support took to resolve, how many billable days a project really consumed.NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays]) automatically removes Saturdays, Sundays, and optional holidays. NETWORKDAYS.INTL(start_date, end_date, [weekend], [holidays]) goes further, letting you define custom weekends or non‑standard schedules. Together, they power capacity planning, performance dashboards, and accurate forecasting.But building and maintaining these calculations across dozens of files is tedious. This is where an AI computer agent changes the game. Instead of you hunting through spreadsheets, the agent can open Excel and Google Sheets, fix broken date ranges, insert the right NETWORKDAYS or NETWORKDAYS.INTL formulas, validate results, and update dashboards on a schedule. You stay focused on strategy while the agent quietly keeps your business-day math clean, consistent, and always up to date.
### 1. Manual ways to use NETWORKDAYS in Excel and Google SheetsLet’s start with the basics. Imagine you’re a sales manager tracking how many business days it takes to move a lead from demo to close. You have a start date in column A and a close date in column B. You want the working days (excluding weekends and holidays) in column C.**1.1 Basic NETWORKDAYS in Excel**1. Put your start dates in `A2:A100` and end dates in `B2:B100`.2. In cell `C2`, enter: `=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2)`3. Drag the formula down column C.Excel counts all working days between the two dates, including both the start and end day, and automatically excludes Saturday and Sunday.Official docs: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/networkdays-function-48e717bf-a7a3-495f-969e-5005e3eb18e7**1.2 Adding holidays in Excel**1. Create a holiday list, e.g. `H2:H20`, each cell containing a valid date (no text dates).2. Update `C2` to: `=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,$H$2:$H$20)`3. Fill down.Now Excel subtracts weekends plus any dates in your holiday range.**1.3 NETWORKDAYS in Google Sheets**Google Sheets works very similarly:1. Start dates in `A2:A`, end dates in `B2:B`.2. In `C2` type: `=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2)`3. Use the fill handle to copy down.With holidays, assuming `H2:H20` is your holiday list:`=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,$H$2:$H$20)`Official Sheets reference (NETWORKDAYS and WORKDAY): https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6055612?hl=en**1.4 Custom weekends with NETWORKDAYS.INTL**If your team works a non‑standard week (for example, Sunday–Thursday), use NETWORKDAYS.INTL.In Excel:1. Suppose you work Sunday–Thursday and weekend is Friday–Saturday.2. In `C2`, use: `=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2,B2,7,$H$2:$H$20)` Here `7` means Friday & Saturday are weekends.Docs: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/networkdays-intl-function-a9b26239-4f20-46a1-9ab8-4e925bfd5e28In Google Sheets, the syntax is the same:`=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2,B2,7,$H$2:$H$20)`**1.5 Avoiding common NETWORKDAYS mistakes**- **Text dates**: Always use real dates or the DATE function (`=DATE(2025,1,15)`), not strings like "1/15/2025" pasted from CRM exports.- **Off-by-one issues**: Remember NETWORKDAYS includes both start and end dates. If you need exclusive ranges, subtract 1 or adjust start/end logic.- **Holiday ranges**: Lock holiday ranges with `$` (e.g. `$H$2:$H$20`) so they don’t shift when you drag formulas.These manual methods are perfect when you own a single file. But as soon as you’re juggling multiple clients, projects, or funnels, you’ll want automation.---### 2. No‑code automations around NETWORKDAYSNow imagine you’re running an agency. Every new client gets a project sheet in Google Sheets, and you want business‑day durations calculated automatically the moment a new row appears.**2.1 Automate in Google Sheets with built‑in features and no‑code tools**- **Array formulas for auto‑fill**: Instead of dragging formulas, use an array formula at the top of the column: `=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(A2:A="","",NETWORKDAYS(A2:A,B2:B,$H$2:$H$20)))` This populates working days for every row with data.- **Connect forms or CRMs**: - Use Google Forms or a CRM integration (via Zapier/Make) to push new records into your Sheet. - Your ARRAYFORMULA calculates NETWORKDAYS immediately for SLAs, onboarding timelines, or sales cycle reports.- **Trigger email summaries**: - Pair Sheets with a no‑code tool (Zapier/Make): - Trigger: Row updated where `NETWORKDAYS` exceeds a threshold. - Action: Send an email/Slack alert to the account owner.**2.2 Automate in Excel with tables, Power Query, and Power Automate**- **Use Excel Tables instead of plain ranges**: 1. Select your data range and press `Ctrl+T` to create a table. 2. Add a column "Business Days" with the formula: `=NETWORKDAYS([@[Start Date]],[@[End Date]],Holidays)` 3. Excel automatically applies the formula to new rows.- **Refresh data with Power Query**: - Pull in data from CSV, databases, or your CRM into Excel via Power Query. - Transform columns to proper date types. - Load into a table that already has the NETWORKDAYS formula column. - Schedule refreshes or trigger them via Power Automate.- **Power Automate for alerts and workflows**: - Trigger: Excel row changed in a OneDrive/SharePoint workbook. - Condition: `Business Days` column exceeds SLA. - Actions: Post to Teams, create a task, or send a client update.These no‑code patterns remove a lot of manual work, but you’re still the one wiring functions, building flows, and fixing broken formulas. That’s where AI agents step in.---### 3. Scaling NETWORKDAYS with an AI agent (Simular)At some point, your operations look like this:- Multiple Excel workbooks for finance and HR.- Several Google Sheets for campaigns and client onboarding.- Different NETWORKDAYS and NETWORKDAYS.INTL rules per region.Instead of hiring another analyst, you can delegate this admin to a Simular AI computer agent that uses your desktop, browser, and cloud apps like a human.**3.1 Method 1: Let the agent build and standardize formulas****What it does**:- Opens each Excel file and Google Sheet you specify.- Detects start/end date columns and existing business‑day columns.- Inserts or corrects `NETWORKDAYS` / `NETWORKDAYS.INTL` formulas.- Creates or updates a central holiday sheet per region.**Pros**:- Rapid standardization across dozens of files.- Reduces formula errors and inconsistent logic.**Cons**:- You need one good “golden” spreadsheet as a template for the agent to mimic.**3.2 Method 2: Agent‑driven reporting and SLA monitoring****What it does**:- On a schedule (daily, hourly), the agent: - Refreshes data sources (Power Query, CSV exports, CRM pages). - Recalculates NETWORKDAYS‑based metrics. - Copies key KPIs into summary dashboards or Google Slides reports. - Emails or posts updates for deals/tickets breaching business‑day thresholds.**Pros**:- Zero manual reporting time.- Always‑current view of cycle times, SLAs, and project durations.**Cons**:- Requires a one‑time setup of dashboards and distribution lists.**3.3 Method 3: Quality‑assurance copilot for date math****What it does**:- Audits random samples of rows across Excel and Sheets.- Compares NETWORKDAYS results against raw date differences.- Flags suspicious cases (e.g., negative durations, weekend‑only ranges, missing holidays).- Produces a QA report so your team can fix data issues.**Pros**:- Catches silent data quality errors that skew forecasts.- Ideal for agencies and revenue teams under strict SLAs.**Cons**:- You still choose which anomalies to fix and how, but the agent finds them for you.By combining solid manual understanding, light no‑code automation, and a Simular AI agent orchestrating the repetitive work across Excel and Google Sheets, you get reliable business‑day metrics at scale without burning human hours on maintenance.