How may I retrieve data from an Excel table based on a variable number of criteria?

Posted by Eshwar on Super User See other posts from Super User or by Eshwar
Published on 2012-10-15T09:33:48Z Indexed on 2012/10/15 9:40 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 222

Filed under:

microsoft-excel

|

excel-2010

|

database

|

pivot-table

I have the following salary data for example:

Country  State     2012  2013 -> 2027
=======  =====     ====  ====
China    Other     1000  1100
China    Shanghai  1310  1400
China    Tianjin   1450  1500
India    Orissa    1500  1600

So now in another Excel sheet I would want an answer to one of the following questions:

What is the salary in Shanghai for 2013? (Answer would be 1400)
What is the salary in Hubei province for 2012? (Since it is not listed, use "Other" - 1000)
What is the average salary in China for 2013? (Answer would be 1450)
What is the highest salary in China for 2012? (Answer is Tianjin)

So as in the above order of priority, I would like those numbers in another Excel sheet using some form of query. I considered PivotTables but I was wondering if there is another much better more efficient way of doing this?

I imagine SQL is suited for this but I am not clued up on that. Some Excel functionality is much rather preferred. Also suggestions on an appropriate format of data for such queries would be appreciated.

© Super User or respective owner

Related posts about microsoft-excel

Connecting to Microsoft Excel using Oracle Data Integrator

as seen on Oracle Blogs - Search for 'Oracle Blogs'
The posts in this series assume that you have some level of familiarity with ODI. The concepts of Topology, Data Server, Physical and Logical Architecture are used here assuming that you understand them in the context of ODI. If you need more details on these elements, please refer to the ODI Tutorial… >>> More
Connect Microsoft Excel To SQL Azure Database

as seen on Dot net Slackers - Search for 'Dot net Slackers'
A number of people have found my post about getting started with SQL Azure pretty useful. But, it's all worthless if it doesn't add up to user value. Database are like potential energy in physics-it's a promise that something could be put in motion. Users actually making decisions based on analysis… >>> More
How to code Microsoft Excel "Shift Cells Up" feature in SQL

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Take a simple table like below: Column Headings: || Agent's Name || Time Logged In || Center || Row 1: Andrew || 12:30 PM || Home Base Row 2: Jeff || 7:00 AM || Virtual Base Row 3: Ryan || 6:30 PM || Test Base Now lets say that a single cell is deleted so the table now looks like this: Column… >>> More
a question on using Microsoft Excel to do data analysis

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Hello everyone there, Me and my mates have been given an Excel spreasheet,which contains the data of the Census report. The column here corresponds to "Year" (from 2000-2010),the row means "City/Town",the cell is simply the population of a town at a particular year. We are up to doing some analysis… >>> More
Working with PivotTables in Excel

as seen on How to geek - Search for 'How to geek'
PivotTables are one of the most powerful features of Microsoft Excel. They allow large amounts of data to be analyzed and summarized in just a few mouse clicks. In this article, we explore PivotTables, understand what they are, and learn how to create and customize them. Note: This article… >>> More

Related posts about excel-2010

Sum and chart in excel

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I have data like the following: Both Hour and Count are columns in an excel file. Hour Count 17 79 18 122 19 123 20 142 21 150 22 78 23 15 13 33 14 33 15 40 16 33 17 56 18 46 19 35 20 67 21 65 22 45 23 36 What I want is to create a chart that shows over… >>> More
Offset the tickmarks of a secondary axis

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I would like to offset the tickmarks of a secondary axis in excel WITHOUT changing the minimum. Here is a very complicated VBA class that apparently solves the issue but I would like a solution that doesn't require me to construct my entire chart in VBA. Here is an example of what I mean (I removed… >>> More
Find a non-case-sensitive text string within a range of cells

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I've got a bit of a problem to solve in Excel, and I'm not quite sure how to go about doing it. I've done a few searches online, and haven't really found any formulas that seem to be useful. Here's the situation (simplified just a bit, for the purpose of this question): I have data in columns A-E… >>> More
How can I split Excel data from one row into multiple rows

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
Good afternoon, Is there a way to split data from one row and store to separate rows? I have a large file that contains scheduling information and I'm trying to develop a list that comprises each combination of course, day, term and period per line. For example I have a file similiar to this: Crs:Sn… >>> More
Keyboard shortcut in excel for expanding the pivot table row?

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I'm able to expand/collapse the row in the pivot table with mouse by: right clicking on cell in the first column of the row + selecting "Expand/Collapse"/"Expand" from context menu. or double clicking on the cell in the first column of the row Is there a keybord shortcut for same action? I'm using… >>> More