How do I use an Excel formula to find which (if any) multiple sets, each of up to 50 words, exist in a series of rows of a spreadsheet — if set A has one or more words found in a searched cell.
A positive result will return a specific value in the designated result cell. If none of the words in Set A is found in the searched cell, the formulae will repeat the test for the words in Set B, and so on.
After all 50 sets of words have been tested, the formula will move to the next cell in the searched column.
New words will be added to the sets of words continually as required.
Multiple words within sets are included in double quotes. Within each set of words there will be some n-tuples of words (i.e. 2–4 adjacent words) that contain one or more of the words in the set, but for which the formula will be required to return a negative result. Example: Set A = word 1, word2, word 3, "word1 word2 word3". (The words within a set could also be each entered in separate columns, as opposed to all included in a single cell.) The single column of text to be searched is about 10,000 rows.
I am wanting to use the above in a spreadsheet that contains data downloaded from a series of bank accounts to automatically allocate items of expenditure to one of 20 or so different categories of expenditure.
The formula will search the description field to find words that are used in the in the downloaded files from the various accounts to describe each transaction.
If a word describing travel expenditure (e.g. hotel, "holiday inn" — but not "holiday travel") is found in the description of an expenditure item — the item cost will be allocated to the TRAVEL EXPENDITURE column, which is one of 20 or so different categories of expenditure.
Happy to consider a different solution if the task can be done better a different way.
Tried using a combination of INDEX/SEARCH/IF in Excel, but was not able to get a correct result. PS I am using Excel 2011 for Mac — which does not allow macros, so the solution needs to be entirely formula based.
A positive result will return a specific value in the designated result cell. If none of the words in Set A is found in the searched cell, the formulae will repeat the test for the words in Set B, and so on.
After all 50 sets of words have been tested, the formula will move to the next cell in the searched column.
New words will be added to the sets of words continually as required.
Multiple words within sets are included in double quotes. Within each set of words there will be some n-tuples of words (i.e. 2–4 adjacent words) that contain one or more of the words in the set, but for which the formula will be required to return a negative result. Example: Set A = word 1, word2, word 3, "word1 word2 word3". (The words within a set could also be each entered in separate columns, as opposed to all included in a single cell.) The single column of text to be searched is about 10,000 rows.
I am wanting to use the above in a spreadsheet that contains data downloaded from a series of bank accounts to automatically allocate items of expenditure to one of 20 or so different categories of expenditure.
The formula will search the description field to find words that are used in the in the downloaded files from the various accounts to describe each transaction.
If a word describing travel expenditure (e.g. hotel, "holiday inn" — but not "holiday travel") is found in the description of an expenditure item — the item cost will be allocated to the TRAVEL EXPENDITURE column, which is one of 20 or so different categories of expenditure.
Happy to consider a different solution if the task can be done better a different way.
Tried using a combination of INDEX/SEARCH/IF in Excel, but was not able to get a correct result. PS I am using Excel 2011 for Mac — which does not allow macros, so the solution needs to be entirely formula based.
