Assigning Categories to Excel Cells
One of the most powerful features of Excel is its ability to automatically categorize data. You can do this by assigning keywords to cells and then checking if the cell contains text from a list.
For example, let’s say you have a list of expenses and you want to categorize them by type. You can create a list of keywords for each category and then assign those keywords to the appropriate cells.
Next, you can use a formula to check if the cell contains text from your list. If it does, the cell will be categorized accordingly. If not, the cell will be categorized as “Other.”
Here’s how to do it:
1. Create a list of keywords for each category.
2. Assign the keywords to the appropriate cells.
3. In a new column, use a formula to check if the cell contains text from your list.
4. If the cell does contain text from your list, the cell will be categorized accordingly.
5. If the cell does not contain text from your list, the cell will be categorized as “Other.”
Here’s an example:
Category Keywords Expenses Rent, Mortgage, Utilities, Groceries, Entertainment, Clothing, Travel Other Car Insurance, Phone Bill, Student Loans
In the example above, the cells in the “Expenses” column are categorized based on the keywords assigned to them. The cells in the “Other” column are categorized as “Other.”
You can also use this technique to categorize data based on other criteria, such as date or location.
