A while ago (well more than 3 years ago), I wrote about an array formula based technique to check if a list of values have any duplicates in them.
Today, lets learn a simpler formula to check if a list has duplicate numbers.
Assuming you have some numbers in a range B4:B10 as shown below,
You can use COUNTIF & MODE formulas to check if the list has any duplicates, like this:
=IF(COUNTIF($B$4:$B$10,MODE($B$4:$B$10))>1, "List has duplicates", "No duplicates")
How does it work?
MODE formula gives us the most frequently occurring number in a list. Then, we use COUNTIF to see how many times this number occurs in a list.
In a list with no duplicates mode value occurs only 1 time. If a list has duplicate numbers, then count of mode would be more than 1. That is what the IF formula checks for and then prints appropriate message.
See this example:
[Embedded Excel, if you can not see it, click here]
Play with below embedded Excel file to understand the technique. You can modify numbers or formula.
Or Download this Example
Click here to download the example workbook and play with it.
How do you check if a list has duplicates?
For text values, I use the array formula technique described here. For numeric values, I prefer MODE + COUNTIF combination because it is easy to write & explain.
What about you? How do you check if a list has duplicates? Which formulas do you use? Please share your techniques using comments.
More on Duplicates & Unique values
If we analyze the time an analyst spends on various things, we would realize,
- 30% of time cleaning data (removing duplicates etc.)
- 30% of time actual analysis
- 30% of time drinking coffee
- 10% of time actual presentation
On a more serious note, if you want to learn various techniques to deal with duplicate values, read on:
- Extracting unique values from a list in Excel using formulas
- Extracting unique values from a list using Pivot tables
- Count the number of values in a list (excluding duplicates)
- Quickly compare 2 lists and check for duplicates
- Removing duplicate values quickly
- Avoiding duplicate data entry using Data Validation
21 Responses to “How to Filter Odd or Even Rows only? [Quick Tips]”
Infact, instead of using =ISEVEN(B3), how about to use =ISEVEN(ROW())
So it takes away any chance of wrong referencing.
I like Daily Dose of Excel
I like it.
Just a heads up, you do need to have the Analysis ToolPak add-in activated to use the ISEVEN / ISODD functions. An alternative to ISEVEN would be:
=MOD(ROW(),2)=0
rather than use a formula, couldn't you enter "true" in first cell and "false" in the second and drag it down and than filter on true or false.
Just for clarification, is Ashish looking to filter by even or odd Characters or rows?
so many functions to learn!
Nice support by chandoo and team as a helpdesk. Give us more to learn and make us awesome. Always be helpful.......
In case you want to delete instead of filter,
IF your data is in Sheet1 column A
Put this in Sheet2 column A and drag down
=OFFSET(Sheet1!A$1,(ROWS($1:1)-1)*2,,)
(This is to delete even rows)
To delete odd rows :
=OFFSET(Sheet1!A$2,(ROWS($1:1)-1)*2,,)
If your numbered cells did not correspond to rows, the answer would be even simpler:
=MOD([cell address],2), then filter by 0 to see evens or 1 to see odds.
I sometimes do this using an even simpler method. I add a new column called "Sign" and put the value of 1 in the first row, say cell C2 if C1 contains the header. Then in C3 I put the formula =-1 * C2, which I copy and paste into the rest of the rows (so C4 has =-1 * C3 and so forth). Now I can just apply a filter and pick either +1 or -1 to see half the rows.
Another way, which works if I want three possibilities: in C2 I put the value 1, in C3 I put the value 2, in C4 I put the value 3, then in C5 I put the formula =C2 then I copy C5 and paste into all the remaining rows (so C6 gets =C3, C7 gets =C4, etc.). Now I can apply a filter and pick the value 1, 2, or 3 to see a third of the rows.
Extending this approach to more than 3 cases is left as an exercise for the reader.
Another way =MOD(ROW();2). In this case, must to choose betwen 1 and 0.
[...] How to Filter Even or Odd rows only [...]
very different style Odd or Even Rows very easy way to visit this site
http://www.handycss.com/tips/odd-or-even-rows/
Thanks for the tip, it worked like magic, saved having to delete row by row in my database.
Thanks!
Thankssssssssssssssss
Hi Chandoo- First of all thanks for the trick. It helped me a lot. Here I have one more challenge. Having filtered the data based on odd. I want to paste data in another sheet adjacent to it. How can I do that?
For Example-
A 1 odd
B 3 odd
C 4 even
D 6 even
I have fileted the above data for odd and want to copy the "This is odd number" text in adjacent/next sheet here. How can I do that. After doing this my data should look like this
A 1 odd This is odd number
B 3 odd This is odd number
C 4 even
D 6 even
Hi! Could you please help me find a formula to filter by language?
Thank you!
Chandoo SIR,
I HAVE A DATA IN EXCEL ROWS LIKE BELOW IS THERE ANY FORMULA OR A WAY WHERE I CAN INSTRUCT I CAN MAKE CHANGES , MEANS I WANT TO WRITE ONLY , THE FIG IS FRESH, BUT IN BELOW ROW IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY TAKE THE SOME WORDS FROM FIGS AND MAKE IN PLURAL FORM , WHILE USING '' ARE'' LIKE BELOW
The fig is fresh - row 1
Figs are fresh - row 2
The Pomegranate is red - row 3
Pomegranates are red - row 4
=IF(EVEN(A1)=A1,"EVEN - do something","ODD - do something else") with iferron (for blank Cell)