Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you have a large amount of data in an Excel worksheet and you need to extract specific information? It can be a daunting task to manually look through all the rows and columns, especially if there are thousands of them. However, fear not, there is a way to filter out the data that you do not need and only display the information that is relevant to you. In this article, we will show you how to display data based on specific criteria in Excel.
How to display data based on criteria in Excel
Excel provides a powerful tool called the AutoFilter that allows you to filter data based on certain conditions. This tool can be used to display specific information in a table or list. Here are the steps to filter data using AutoFilter in Excel:
- Select the table or list that contains the data you want to filter.
- Click on the Data tab in the ribbon.
- Click on the Filter button. This will add a drop-down arrow to each column header in your table.
- Click on the drop-down arrow in the column you want to filter.
- Select the criterion you want to use for filtering. For example, if you only want to display data that contains a certain word, you can use the Text Filters option and select Contains. Then, enter the word you want to filter for.
- Click OK.
Once you have applied the filter, Excel will only display the data that meets the selected criterion. Any rows that do not meet the condition will be hidden from view. You can apply multiple criteria to filter your data further. Simply repeat the above steps for each criterion you want to use.
How to display data from another sheet based on criteria in Excel
If you have data in multiple sheets in your Excel workbook and you want to display information from a different sheet based on certain criteria, you can use the VLOOKUP function. This function allows you to search for a specific value in a table and return a corresponding value from a different column in the same row. Here are the steps to use the VLOOKUP function in Excel:
- Create a new sheet in your workbook where you want to display the filtered data.
- Select a cell in the new sheet where you want to display the first result.
- Type the following formula: =VLOOKUP(search_criterion, table_array, column_number, FALSE).
- Replace the search_criterion argument with the criterion you want to use for filtering.
- Replace the table_array argument with the range of cells that contains the data you want to search. Make sure this range includes the column that contains the values you want to return.
- Replace the column_number argument with the number of the column you want to return the value from.
- Press Enter.
The VLOOKUP function will search for the specified criterion in the table array and return the value from the specified column in the same row. You can copy the formula to display results for multiple criteria. Make sure to update the search_criterion argument for each cell based on the criteria you want to use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Can I use multiple criteria to filter my data in Excel?
Yes, you can use multiple criteria to filter your data in Excel. Simply follow the steps above for each criterion you want to use. Excel will only display the data that meets all the selected criteria.
Q2: Are there any limitations to the VLOOKUP function in Excel?
Yes, there are some limitations to the VLOOKUP function in Excel. The function can only search for values in the leftmost column of the table array. It also requires an exact match for the search criterion. If there are duplicated values in the leftmost column, the function will return only the first match. To overcome these limitations, you can use other Excel functions such as INDEX and MATCH or use a combination of multiple functions.
Conclusion
Filtering data based on specific criteria is an essential skill in Excel. The AutoFilter and VLOOKUP functions are powerful tools that can help you display information that is relevant to your needs. By using these tools, you can save valuable time and extract important insights from your data. If you want to see a demonstration of how to use these tools, check out the YouTube video attached to this article!