Comments on: How to Categorize Values in Your Dataset with If and Vlookup in Microsoft Excel https://depictdatastudio.com/recategorize-values-with-if-and-vlookup-microsoft-excel/ Fri, 21 Nov 2025 22:41:55 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 By: claytonstatelibrary https://depictdatastudio.com/recategorize-values-with-if-and-vlookup-microsoft-excel/#comment-832 Wed, 16 May 2018 18:29:20 +0000 http://annkemery.com/?p=9709#comment-832 In reply to Andrew Fairley.

Yeah the newer version allows much more. My husband still maxed it out though!

]]> By: mathscinotes https://depictdatastudio.com/recategorize-values-with-if-and-vlookup-microsoft-excel/#comment-831 Tue, 24 Apr 2018 18:41:31 +0000 http://annkemery.com/?p=9709#comment-831 Hi Ann,
I would argue that SWITCH is better than IF in only one way and that has to do with brevity. With an IF statement, you have to repeat part of the logic condition every time you use it. For example,
IF (A=1,x, A=2, y, …)
With SWITCH, there is no need for “A=”.
SWITCH(A,1,x,2,y,…)
In a sense, it is like an expanded version of CHOOSE and is used in similar circumstances (e.g. translating month numbers to quarters). The problem with CHOOSE is that your variable often needs to be coerced into an index (i.e. 1,2,3, …). With SWITCH, I don’t need to create a function to turn a value into an index.
For complex logical operations, I prefer VLOOKUP.
Keep up the good work and thanks.

]]> By: Nitesh Halai. https://depictdatastudio.com/recategorize-values-with-if-and-vlookup-microsoft-excel/#comment-830 Tue, 24 Apr 2018 17:50:25 +0000 http://annkemery.com/?p=9709#comment-830 I usually prefer a VLOOKUP. I try to avoid using nested IF formulas as much as possible. Just imagine the effort required to debug a 64 level IF formula 🙂

]]> By: Ann K. Emery https://depictdatastudio.com/recategorize-values-with-if-and-vlookup-microsoft-excel/#comment-829 Wed, 18 Apr 2018 19:28:43 +0000 http://annkemery.com/?p=9709#comment-829 In reply to Mark Biegert.

Hi Mark, I’ve encountered switch and played around with it a few times… but can’t figure out how it’s better than if or vlookup. When do you use it? What are its main advantages? Sell me. 🙂

]]> By: Mark Biegert https://depictdatastudio.com/recategorize-values-with-if-and-vlookup-microsoft-excel/#comment-828 Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:11:32 +0000 http://annkemery.com/?p=9709#comment-828 Thanks Ann. For those using more recent versions of Excel, you can also try the Switch function.

]]> By: Ann K. Emery https://depictdatastudio.com/recategorize-values-with-if-and-vlookup-microsoft-excel/#comment-827 Wed, 18 Apr 2018 13:42:16 +0000 http://annkemery.com/?p=9709#comment-827 In reply to Andrew Fairley.

64 levels?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??! Ahahahahahahahahah I can’t even imagine. What a mess that would be! I’m officially going on the record to say that an IF statement with 64 levels is a bad use of your time. For “more than a handful of categories,” use a lookup function instead of an if statement.

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