Finding text strings in complex situations

[Guest]

Hello,

I need to find all the text strings, which matches to certain criteria.
Briefly, I have a criterium "test". Then, I'm interested in the rows which
have "test" string in a column B. I'm looking for the text strings in the
column C, which correspond the rows according to "test" criterium. I have to
eliminate all the duplicate and blank values and finally concatenate rest of
the values.

VLOOKUP just returns the first match, which can even be blank. In theory, I
could use the OFFSET and MATCH -functions for all the matches, changing the
reference to correspond the next row from the previous match and continue.
However, there are so many matches that it would be impossible to link so
many loops.

DGET would be an ideal function, only if it could handle the multiple
matches. If there was an IS-function to #NUM!- and #VALUE errors
particularly, I could determine, if there are matches for the criteria.

Array functions don't seem to solve this problem either, because the rows
which corresponds the criterium are in disorder, so I can't get an array,
which would correspond the criterium.

 

[Bill Ridgeway]

If I understand you correctly, you want to identify all records where the
word "test" appears in Column B AND Column C. Alternatively, you may be
looking for instances where the word "test" appears in Column B AND other,
specific words in Column C.

If you could clarify the position I will try to help.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the answer.

Actually, I have a few other criteria in other columns, but it's not
important. You could imagine I only have one criterion in column B. I'd like
to get all the values in column C returned. So, for example:

Column B | Column C
oiasdfj | joko
test | correct match
test | another correct match
spjas | spdo
test |
test | correct match

In this case, I would like to get the result: correct match / another
correct match

So, the function should remove the double match: "correct match" and the
empty cell, which actually contains the reference. The reference in that cell
doesn't return a value, but Excel don't think it's an empty cell because of
the reference. I can't make the difference between the "empty" cell and teh
other cells because Excel thinks both of them contains text and none of them
contains number (ISTEXT, ISNUMBER).

 

[Pete_UK]

Can't you apply an autofilter to column B for "test" and then a custom
filter to C for "Not blank" or Contains... "match"?

Hope this helps.

Pete

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately, filters aren't convenient because I don't have a permission to
change the "database" document. I just have to search the information from
that file according the criteria. Certainly, I could filter the document,
then copy and paste as values, but this is all I am trying to get rid of: to
avoid manual work, because I get new versions all the time.

 

[Bill Ridgeway]

If you don't have permission to change the spreadsheet, can you highlight
the whole of the spreadsheet (Click on the square immediately at the
north-west corner) and paste it a new spreadsheet and work on it there?

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

 

[Guest]

Yes, I could. But I'm trying to get rid of that kind of manual work. My
target is the solution which could be updated to correspond the new version
just by "updating links".