Excel is recognized as a data analysis software, making it useful in many fields. In business, one often faces large data tables from which precise information must be extracted, comparisons made, or verifications conducted. The ability to analyze data in Excel is, in fact, a skill demanded by many employers. Therefore, mastering data cross-referencing techniques with this software is important.
Using formulas to analyze data tables in Excel
Formulas represent the “main tool” used to solve almost all problems encountered in Excel. For example, when faced with tables containing thousands of data points from which you want to extract a few based on specific criteria, mastering Excel functions becomes necessary.
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On the Learn Excel website, you will find well-detailed tutorials and specific tips to help you understand how to use these functions for a thorough analysis of your data tables. You can also subscribe to their official Facebook page to ensure you don’t miss any updates from the site.
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Here are some practical functions used in cross-referencing data tables in Excel
- The “if” function
This so-called conditional function allows you to calibrate the data table according to your needs. With the “if” function, only a portion of the data in the table is targeted, which is much more suitable when dealing with a large amount of data. In practice, this popular Excel function is often used to make comparisons between a value in the table and the expected value. Following its use, it returns one of two possible predefined results: either it’s the first result when your comparison is true, or it’s the second result when the comparison is false.
- The “VLOOKUP” function
The vertical lookup is a very important function in Excel. It allows you to search for information by row within a data range. In practice, the value being searched for is fixed, and through this formula, you ask Excel to return the corresponding data from a set of data. For example, you can look up the price of an item based on its reference number.
In addition to the VLOOKUP function, the MATCH function is also widely used for cross-referencing tables. Useful for searching for an item within a targeted range, it is used similarly to the VLOOKUP function with a few differences.
Side-by-side display
Observation is the basis of a successful analysis; for not too many data points, side-by-side display is a method that will allow you to make easy comparisons by looking at them. The advantage here is that the scrolling of the files is synchronized.
Using a Visual Basic (VB) Macro
This method is somewhat related to programming, so it is not necessarily the most widely used method for cross-referencing data tables in Excel. In practice, you will need to write lines of code to precisely specify what you want to obtain from the data tables to be cross-referenced.
Macros have the advantage of automating calculations, making them much more practical for analyzing large databases.