The Different Counts Functions
If you are familiar to Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel, you might have worked with functions. Most of us, have used several functions and typically we keep the ones that work for us. In this blog, I will show you six types of counts functions that you can use to automate your work. First, remember that all functions start with the equal (=) sign; thus, make sure that you use it or it will not provide a result. In the above, image I included the six types, for you to follow.
=COUNT( )
This function started all, this is the basic count. All you need, select a list of numbers (no text), and it will return the quantity of values. No adding, just counting.
=COUNTA( )
CountA allows counting of values and text; thus, it improves the ability to obtain quantities when your data does not contain numbers.
=COUNTIF( )
This function will count if the data meets your criteria. The criteria will be enclosed in quotation marks. In my example, I am counting people younger than 15 years of age.
=COUNTIFS( )
You can select various ranges of data with different criterias. Ranges and criterias must match, and can be two or more. In my example, I am counting females younger than 14 years of age.
=COUNTBLANK( )
When you have inconsistent data, countblank comes handy; since, it allow to determine if there are cells in blank. I find useful, when checking databases with addresses, and specific information requirements that must be completed, not in blank.
=COUNTUNIQUE( )
Using this function allows to check how many uniques were input in a database. In my example, I am reviewing how many cities are in fact unique. We have 10 entries, but only 5 are unique.
Conclusion:
Experiment with different variants of your favorite Google Sheets functions. The people at Google have created a very good software with endless applications. Counting has 6 types that you can use in different projects and databases.