This formula filters data in a Google Sheet and auto-updates. 10 use cases at the bottom with formula!

This is what you need to know going in:

• COUNTA function:?This function counts the number of cells in a range that are not blank.
• IF function:?This function checks if a condition is met. If the condition is met, the IF function returns the value in the first argument. If the condition is not met, the IF function returns the value in the second argument.
• FILTER function:?This function filters the data in a range based on criteria.
• Ranges:? a range is a group of cells that are contiguous, or next to each other.

Formula Execution:

When you apply this formula to a cell, it initiates the following steps:

1. The COUNTA function checks if there are any non-blank cells in column AC of the "Dimensions" sheet.
2. If the condition is met (count is greater than 0), the FILTER function is activated.

• The FILTER function extracts the desired columns (H, I, J, K, L, AC, AD, AE, AF, AG) from the "Dimensions" sheet based on two criteria: Non-empty cells in column AC (Dimensions!AC:AC<>"").
• Cells in column AG not equal to FALSE (Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE).

1. If the condition is not met (count is 0), an empty result ("") is returned.

Utilizing the Formula:

To implement this formula effectively, follow these steps:

1. Open your Google Sheets workbook and locate the target sheet containing the data (e.g., "Dimensions").
2. Create a new sheet (e.g., "Sheet16") where you want to extract the filtered data.
3. In cell A2 of "Sheet16," paste the formula.
4. Ensure the sheet and column references match your data.
5. The formula will automatically update whenever new data is added to the AC column in the "Dimensions" sheet.

=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!AC:AC)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions!K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!AC:AC<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), ""

)        

Just to visualize what I was working with:

I have a Google Sheets workbook that contains a large dataset. I do not need all of the data for the task at hand, and I would like to avoid the tedious process of manually copying and pasting the data that I do need. I would like to create a formula that will automatically update when new data is added to the workbook.

Dimensions is the name of my sheet. If you decide to use this formula just change the name of your sheet and column names to match what you are looking at.

I added a new sheet named "Sheet16" and placed the formula in cell A2. To ensure that the data would be pulled over in the correct format, I copied and pasted the header from the main sheet ("Dimensions") and manually formatted it to match the expected output of the formula.

Colorful is the manual change / Black PN is where the formula lives.

This is the result:

Now I can copy all my data at once. and paste to a format table in another program. This formula will auto update when anything is added to the AC column in Dimensions sheet. I hope this helps with your report building or whatever it is you are pulling data from. Here are 10 use cases with the formula so you can come back to copy any time you like!

=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!AC:AC)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!AC:AC<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), "") Examples showcasing how to modify the formula to search for data in other columns:

1. Sales Analysis: Use the formula to extract sales data from a sheet, filtering by non-empty cells in column AD and excluding rows with a FALSE value in column AG. Visual changes can include displaying relevant sales figures and statistics.=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!AD:AD)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!AD:AD<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), "")
2. Inventory Management: Apply the formula to extract inventory details, filtering out rows with empty cells in column AE and excluding any rows with a FALSE value in column AG. Visual changes may involve presenting the current inventory status and highlighting any low-stock items.=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!AE:AE)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!AE:AE<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), "")
3. Project Tracking: Utilize the formula to extract project-related information, filtering based on non-empty cells in column AF and excluding rows with a FALSE value in column AG. Visual changes could include displaying project milestones, timelines, and progress indicators.=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!AF:AF)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!AF:AF<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), "")
4. Customer Segmentation: Use the formula to extract customer data, filtering by non-empty cells in column AG and excluding rows with a FALSE value in column AH. Visual changes might involve creating customer segments based on specific criteria and displaying segment-specific information.=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!AG:AG)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!AH:AH<>"", Dimensions!AG:AH<>FALSE), "")
5. Data Cleanup: Apply the formula to extract relevant data for cleaning purposes, filtering out rows with empty cells in column H and excluding any rows with a FALSE value in column AG. Visual changes can include highlighting inconsistencies or errors in the data.=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!H:H)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!H:H<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), "")
6. Performance Analysis: Utilize the formula to extract performance metrics, filtering based on non-empty cells in column I and excluding rows with a FALSE value in column AG. Visual changes could involve creating charts or graphs to illustrate performance trends and comparisons.=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!I:I)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!I:I<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), "")
7. Expense Tracking: Use the formula to extract expense details, filtering by non-empty cells in column J and excluding rows with a FALSE value in column AG. Visual changes might include displaying expense categories, totals, and budget comparisons.=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!J:J)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!J:J<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), "")
8. Marketing Campaign Analysis: Apply the formula to extract campaign data, filtering out rows with empty cells in column K and excluding any rows with a FALSE value in column AG. Visual changes can involve presenting campaign performance metrics, ROI calculations, and visualizations.=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!K:K)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!K:K<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), "")
9. Employee Attendance: Utilize the formula to extract attendance records, filtering based on non-empty cells in column L and excluding rows with a FALSE value in column AG. Visual changes could include displaying attendance summaries, patterns, and highlighting any anomalies.=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!L:L)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!L:L<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), "")
10. Survey Responses: Use the formula to extract survey responses, filtering by non-empty cells in column X and excluding rows with a FALSE value in column AG. Visual changes might involve categorizing responses, analyzing sentiment, and presenting summary statistics.=IF(COUNTA(Dimensions!X:X)>0, FILTER({Dimensions!H:H, Dimensions!I:I, Dimensions!J:J, Dimensions:K:K, Dimensions!L:L, Dimensions!AC:AC, Dimensions!AD:AD, Dimensions!AE:AE, Dimensions!AF:AF, Dimensions!AG:AG}, Dimensions!X:X<>"", Dimensions!AG:AG<>FALSE), "")