Google Sheets has a powerful function called CHOOSEROWS that can revolutionize the way you manipulate data. This function allows you to generate a new array by selecting specific row numbers from an existing range. With CHOOSEROWS, the possibilities for data manipulation in Google Sheets become endless, making it a must-have function for any spreadsheet enthusiast.
Syntax and Arguments
To fully understand the power of the CHOOSEROWS function, let’s dive into its syntax and arguments:
Syntax:
CHOOSEROWS(array, row_num1, [row_num2, …])
Arguments in the CHOOSEROWS Google Sheets Function:
array: The source array or range.row_num1: The row number (in the array) of the first row to be returned.row_num2, …: The row number(s), if any, of additional row(s) to be returned.
You can input positive or negative integers as row numbers. When using negative row numbers, the counting starts from the last row in the range (bottom to top), while positive row numbers begin from the top. If the row number isn’t an integer, the function will round it down.
Basic Usage
To showcase the power of the CHOOSEROWS function, let’s consider a scenario where we have a table containing names, marks, and ranks of students, sorted based on rank. We want to retrieve the details of the 5th rank holder, excluding the header row.
In this case, you can simply use the CHOOSEROWS function in Google Sheets with the following formula:
=CHOOSEROWS(B3:D12, 5)
This formula will return the details of the 5th rank holder. It’s as simple as that!
In the past, we had alternative solutions like INDEX, QUERY, and OFFSET functions. However, the CHOOSEROWS function simplifies the process and makes it more efficient.
Flipping a Table in Google Sheets
Did you know that you can also use the CHOOSEROWS function to flip a table in Google Sheets? In a previous tutorial, we learned how to flip a table from right to left using the CHOOSECOLS function. Now, let’s explore how to achieve the same result but from bottom to top using the CHOOSEROWS function.
Assuming A2:D7 is the range to flip from bottom to top, you can use the following formula:
=CHOOSEROWS(A2:D7, SEQUENCE(ROWS(A2:A7), 1, -1, -1))
The SEQUENCE function generates a series of negative numbers from -1 to -7, and when combined with the CHOOSEROWS function, it returns the rows from bottom to top.
An alternative formula that achieves the same flipping effect is using the SORT function in conjunction with the SEQUENCE function:
=SORT(A2:D7, SEQUENCE(ROWS(A2:A7)), 0)
This formula sorts the rows in descending order, effectively flipping the table.
Overcoming the XLOOKUP 2D Array Shortfall
Searching for information manually in a large dataset can be time-consuming. Spreadsheet applications like Google Sheets provide built-in lookup functions to streamline this process, and XLOOKUP is one of the most popular choices. However, XLOOKUP falls short when searching for multiple keys as it only returns information from a single column.
To overcome this limitation, we can combine the XMATCH, TOCOL, and CHOOSEROWS functions. Let’s take a look at an example to understand how this alternative approach works.
Suppose we have a table where we want to search for “fruits” and “pulses” in the first column and return the result from the entire row (except the first column), searching from the last entry to the first.
The XLOOKUP formula for this scenario would be:
=ArrayFormula(XLOOKUP(B13:B14, B2:B7, C2:E7, "", 0, -1))
However, this formula only returns the values from the first column of the result_range.
To solve this problem, we can use the CHOOSEROWS function with TOCOL and XMATCH:
=ArrayFormula(CHOOSEROWS(B2:E7, TOCOL(XMATCH(B13:B14, B2:B7, 0, -1), 3)))
The XMATCH function returns the row numbers for matching search keys and #N/A for mismatching ones. The TOCOL function removes the #N/A errors, and we use the resulting index numbers within the CHOOSEROWS function to return the relevant rows.
With this alternative formula, we can overcome the 2D array shortfall of XLOOKUP and retrieve the necessary information from specific columns.
Conclusion
The CHOOSEROWS function in Google Sheets is a game-changer when it comes to data manipulation. Whether you want to retrieve specific rows, flip a table, or overcome the limitations of other functions like XLOOKUP, CHOOSEROWS has got you covered. It’s a powerful tool that brings efficiency and flexibility to your spreadsheets.
So why wait? Start exploring the endless possibilities of the CHOOSEROWS function in Google Sheets today! For more exciting tips and tricks, visit Crawlan.com, your go-to source for all things Google Sheets.
