Spreadsheets Deep Dive

Formula Patterns

Lookup Values

=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_range, column_index, FALSE)
=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array)  [Excel 365+]
=INDEX(return_range, MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_range, 0))

Conditional Calculations

=SUMIF(range, criteria, sum_range)
=SUMIFS(sum_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, criteria_range2, criteria2)
=COUNTIF(range, criteria)
=AVERAGEIF(range, criteria, average_range)

Text Manipulation

=CONCATENATE(A1, " ", B1)  or  =A1 & " " & B1
=LEFT(text, num_chars)
=RIGHT(text, num_chars)
=TRIM(text)  -- removes extra spaces
=PROPER(text)  -- Title Case

Date Functions

=TODAY()
=YEAR(date) / MONTH(date) / DAY(date)
=DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "Y")  -- years between dates
=WORKDAY(start_date, num_days)  -- excludes weekends

Pivot Tables

When to use: Summarizing large datasets by categories.

Setup:

Select data (including headers)
Insert → Pivot Table
Drag fields:
- Rows = categories to group by
- Columns = secondary grouping
- Values = what to calculate (Sum, Count, Average)

Refresh: Right-click pivot → Refresh (data source changed)

Calculated fields: Add custom calculations within pivot.

Common Errors & Fixes

Error	Cause	Fix
#N/A	VLOOKUP can't find value	Check spelling, spaces, data type
#REF!	Referenced cell deleted	Update formula references
#VALUE!	Wrong data type	Check if text vs number
#DIV/0!	Dividing by zero	Add IF to check denominator
#####	Column too narrow	Widen column

Data Cleaning

Remove duplicates: Data → Remove Duplicates Text to columns: Data → Text to Columns (split by delimiter) Find & Replace: Ctrl+H, use wildcards (* for any characters) Trim spaces: =TRIM(A1) then paste values

Keyboard Shortcuts (Excel)

Action	Windows	Mac
New row/column	Ctrl++	Cmd++
Delete row/column	Ctrl+-	Cmd+-
Fill down	Ctrl+D	Cmd+D
Absolute reference	F4	Cmd+T
Go to formula cell	Ctrl+[	Cmd+[
Select to end	Ctrl+Shift+End	Cmd+Shift+End

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