Top 10 Google Sheets Formulas to Transform Your Data (and 3 things you can't do in Excel)

Google Sheets is a ubiquitous, flexible and easy-to-use tool for anyone looking to analyze, organize, and visualize their data efficiently. In addition it has a powerful mobile app. Whether you're a seasoned data analyst or a casual spreadsheet user, mastering certain key formulas can significantly enhance your productivity. Here’s a rundown of the top 10 Google Sheets formulas, complete with examples to help you leverage these tools in your data tasks. We'll also look at the top 3 things you can do in Google Sheets, that you can't do in Excel.

These are likely to be your 10 most used necessary Google Sheets formulas

Top 10 Google Sheets Formulas

1. SUM()

Purpose: Adds up a series of numbers or cells.

Example: =SUM(A1:A10) adds up all values in cells from A1 to A10.

2. AVERAGE()

Purpose: Calculates the average of a group of numbers.

Example: =AVERAGE(B1:B10) finds the average of values in cells B1 to B10.

3. VLOOKUP()

Purpose: Searches for a value in the first column of a range and returns a value in the same row from a specified column.

Example: =VLOOKUP("Smith", A2:B100, 2, FALSE) looks for "Smith" in the first column of A2:B100 and returns the corresponding value from the second column.

4. IF()

Purpose: Performs a logical comparison and returns one value if true, and another if false.

Example: =IF(C1 > 100, "High", "Low") returns "High" if C1 is greater than 100, otherwise returns "Low".

5. COUNTIF()

Purpose: Counts the number of cells that meet a specific criterion.

Example: =COUNTIF(A1:A10, ">20") counts the number of cells in A1:A10 that contain numbers greater than 20.

6. SUMIF()

Purpose: Adds up cells that meet certain criteria.

Example: =SUMIF(B1:B10, ">30", C1:C10) adds up values in C1:C10 where the corresponding cells in B1:B10 are greater than 30.

7. CONCATENATE() / CONCAT()

Purpose: Joins together two or more strings of text.

Example: =CONCATENATE("Hello, ", "world!") results in "Hello, world!". The newer CONCAT() function works similarly: =CONCAT("Hello, ", "world!").

8. INDEX(MATCH()) Combo

Purpose: More flexible alternative to VLOOKUP. MATCH finds the position of a specified item in a range, and INDEX returns the value at a given position in a range.

Example: =INDEX(A2:B100, MATCH("Smith", A2:A100, 0), 2) finds "Smith" in A2:A100, and INDEX returns the corresponding value from the second column.

9. IMPORTRANGE()

Purpose: Imports a range of cells from a specified spreadsheet.

Example: =IMPORTRANGE("URL", "sheet1!A1:C10") imports cells A1 to C10 from the first sheet of the spreadsheet specified by the URL.

10. QUERY()

Purpose: Uses Google Visualization API Query Language to perform more complex queries on data. Example:

=QUERY(A1:B10, "select A, B where B > 20") selects and displays columns A and B where column B is greater than 20.

These ten Google Sheets formulas are just the tip of the iceberg but mastering them can significantly streamline your workflows and enhance your data analysis capabilities. Whether you're managing personal budgets, organizing large datasets, or anything in between, these tools are sure to increase both efficiency and accuracy.

Unique Google Sheets Formula Capabilities Not Available in Excel

While both Google Sheets and Excel offer powerful data manipulation features, there are some capabilities in Google Sheets that are uniquely beneficial, especially when compared to Excel. Here are the top three things you can do with formulas in Google Sheets that are not available or as robust in Excel:

1. Built-in Google Finance Functionality

Google Sheets integrates seamlessly with other Google services, including Google Finance, which is particularly useful for finance professionals or anyone needing up-to-date financial data.

=GOOGLEFINANCE("NASDAQ:GOOGL", "price", DATE(2023,1,1), DATE(2023,12,31), "DAILY") 

This formula fetches the daily price of Google’s stock for the year 2023 directly within your spreadsheet. This sort of integration in Excel requires additional plugins or manual data importing.

2. Using Google Translate Directly in Sheets

Google Sheets allows you to use the GOOGLETRANSLATE function, which can automatically translate text between languages without needing external applications or services.

Example: =GOOGLETRANSLATE("Hello, world!", "en", "es") This formula translates the phrase “Hello, world!” from English to Spanish directly in your sheet. Excel does not have a native function for this and would require an external add-in or service.

3. Real-time Collaboration with Functions

Google Sheets was designed from the ground up for online, real-time collaboration. This means you can use formulas that dynamically update based on inputs from multiple users in real time, which is something Excel only supports in a limited capacity through Excel Online.

Example: =IMPORTRANGE("spreadsheet_key", "sheet_name!range")

This formula allows you to link multiple sheets from different Google Sheets documents that could be edited by various users in real time. For instance, a team could have several departments working in different Sheets, and IMPORTRANGE can consolidate all data into a master sheet instantaneously.

Enhanced Functionality Through Integration

These unique functions highlight Google Sheets’ advantage in terms of integration with other web services and real-time data handling, making it a preferred tool for projects that benefit from immediate data updates and extensive web integration. Excel, while powerful in its own right, requires more setup and doesn't offer as seamless an integration with web services out-of-the-box.

By leveraging these Google Sheets-exclusive functions, users can enhance their productivity and data analysis capabilities beyond the traditional spreadsheet environment, tapping into the broader ecosystem of Google's services and the internet at large.

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on our blog to help you become a Google Sheets power user. Happy sheeting!