Spreadsheets are vital for managing data and keeping things organized. With the increasing amount of data around us, having tools that can help collect information and make the most out of it has become essential. The more you know about the capabilities of your tools, the easier it will be to handle waves of data.
While Excel spreadsheets are the most well-known application, Google Sheets has made respectable progress in the data processing community. This brings us to the purpose of this article. First, we will explore Google Sheets formulas today, including why they are important, how they are useful, and finally, a list of the most common or valuable formulas.
What is Google Sheets?
Google Sheets is a popular spreadsheet utility that comes bundled with the free Google Docs Editors suite. The service also includes Google Docs, Google Drawings, Google Forms, Google Sites, Google Slides, and Google Keep. In short, it’s Google’s equivalent to Excel, although there are differences between the two applications.
While both applications handle calculations and formulas, each has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, Excel is better at handling large amounts of data, while Google Sheets excels at collaboration. Here’s a comprehensive comparison of the two spreadsheet applications.
Here are five short reasons why you should use Google Sheets:
- It helps you keep your data up to date.
- It uses Google’s artificial intelligence to speed up data analysis.
- It utilizes Google’s suite of security features to protect your data.
- It contains features that users have come to expect over the years.
- It allows users to automate various processes, saving time and increasing efficiency.
Why are Google Sheets formulas important?
Google Sheets formulas are essential for businesses and data analysts as they enhance the efficiency of data processing functions such as data input, manipulation, and maintenance. These benefits are particularly valuable for professionals who need to work with large amounts of information; creating spreadsheets without the aid of automated functions can result in slow processes and data errors.
How are Google Sheets formulas useful?
Google Sheets formulas make it easy to check data accuracy, make quick modifications, and increase overall productivity for data processing professionals. Additionally, Google Sheets formulas simplify the creation and maintenance of spreadsheets.
Using formulas in Google Sheets allows users to quickly calculate and get totals of multiple cells, rows, or columns within the spreadsheet.
What is the difference between a formula and a function in Google Sheets?
It’s not hard to confuse a formula and a function in Google Sheets and mix them up. So, let’s simplify things: a formula is a calculation within the spreadsheet; a function is a predefined calculation.
Users write formulas, which can be as complex or as simple as they want. Functions are already written and ready to use. Think of functions as shortcuts!
A List of Google Sheets Formulas
Here’s a sample of a dozen and a half useful Google Sheets formulas. You typically enter formulas manually by starting the syntax with an equal sign (=). Or you can use a function shortcut to save time and keystrokes. Choose what works best for you!
ARRAYFORMULA
This command allows you to perform an action on multiple ranges of data (e.g., adding data values from two separate lists). Enter =ARRAYFORMULA in an empty cell or click the cell in question and select “ARRAYFORMULA” from the “GOOGLE” menu located in the “FORMULA” dropdown list.
AVERAGE
This formula gets the average of the data found in a given range of cells. You can find the average of cells in a single row or column or input random cells to add. Choose an empty cell and select “AVERAGE” from the “FUNCTION” dropdown list. Alternatively, enter =AVERAGE in a cell.
COUNT
COUNT determines how many cells in a specific range have a value. For example, cells B1 to B4, cell B7, and cells B9 to B12 may all have a value, while the rest are empty. Quickly find the number of cells with values by clicking an empty cell, choosing “COUNT” from the “FUNCTION” dropdown list, or entering =COUNT in the cell and selecting the relevant cells.
COUNTIF
This formula counts how many cells in a given range have a value if they meet certain conditions. Choose an empty cell, enter =COUNTIF, or select “COUNTIF” from the “MATH” menu in the “FORMULAS” dropdown. Then, enter your conditions and ranges within parentheses.
ESCAPE Key
If you need to exit the formula view and return to the results view quickly, press the “ESC” key and exit the view without saving any changes.
EXACT
This formula allows you to determine if two values in different cells of your spreadsheet are identical. Click an empty cell, choose “EXACT” from the “TEXT” menu in the “FORMULA” dropdown list, or enter =EXACT in the appropriate cell. Then, enter the two cells you want to compare between a set of parentheses and separated by a comma, and press “ENTER”. If the values are exact, you will see the word “TRUE” in the cell; otherwise, you will see “FALSE”.
F2
If you want to copy a portion of a formula to use elsewhere, select the cell that contains the formula and press F2. You will then be in the formula.
F4
This key toggles between absolute and relative references in Google Sheets formulas. It is much faster than clicking and typing a dollar sign ($) to switch between references.
IFERROR
You can determine the value of a cell if a function returns an error in a given cell. Enter =IFERROR in an empty cell, click it, or choose “IFERROR” from the “Logical” menu in the “FORMULA” dropdown list. Then, enter the value you want to display within a set of parentheses, followed by a comma. Next, include the value you want to display if the function returns an error within square brackets.
Moving to the Front or Back of a Google Sheets Formula
Let’s say you’re working on a very long spreadsheet formula and want to quickly move from one end to the other. The “UP” arrow takes you to the beginning, and the “DOWN” arrow takes you to the end.
Fill Down Shortcut
If you want to quickly copy a formula down a column, double-click the blue square in the corner of the highlighted cell. This action copies the format and content of the cell as far as the contiguous range in the previous column. Alternatively, you can highlight the range you need to fill and then press “CMD + D” on a Mac or “CTRL + D” on a PC.
SHIFT and ENTER
Use “SHIFT” + “ENTER” as a shortcut to access the formula editing view.
SORT
SORT allows you to sort cells containing numeric data in ascending order, from lowest to highest. Enter =SORT in an empty cell or click the cell and select “SORT” from the “FILTER” menu in the “FORMULA” dropdown list. Enter the desired range of cells to sort within parentheses.
SPLIT
This command allows you to split text in a comma-separated cell into multiple cells. Enter =SPLIT in an empty cell or click the cell and choose “SPLIT” from the “TEXT” menu in the “FORMULA” dropdown list. Then, enter the cell you want to split within parentheses, followed by two quotation marks and separate each item with a comma.
SUM
This formula adds up the values in a range of cells. First, manually enter =SUM in a cell or select “SUM” from the “FUNCTION” dropdown list. Then, hold down the SHIFT key and select the cells you want to add; alternatively, enclose them between a pair of parentheses.
SUMIF
The SUMIF formula is similar to COUNTIF, but you’re looking for the sum of cells that meet certain conditions in this case. Enter =SUMIF in an empty cell or select “SUMIF” from the “MATH” menu, then enter a condition (e.g., greater than, less than, or equal to).
TODAY
TODAY allows you to enter the current date in a cell of the spreadsheet. Click an empty cell, choose the “TODAY” option, or enter =TODAY(). You can also enter a future or past date by adding or subtracting the number of days to the TODAY formula.
VLOOKUP
The VLOOKUP function enables you to search for specific data in a spreadsheet. If you want to look up specific values, you’ll need to input the lookup data, range, index, and sorted data. Then, enter =VLOOKUP in an empty cell or click the desired cell and select “VLOOKUP” from the “LOOKUP” menu in the “FORMULA” dropdown list.
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