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This document provides an overview of Excel Data Validation, a feature that allows users to set rules for data entry to ensure accuracy and consistency. It includes examples of how to restrict data types, such as limiting age entries to whole numbers within a specific range, applying date restrictions, creating dropdown lists for department selection, and displaying input messages for guidance. Additional resources for further Excel learning are also mentioned.

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4 views

amit

This document provides an overview of Excel Data Validation, a feature that allows users to set rules for data entry to ensure accuracy and consistency. It includes examples of how to restrict data types, such as limiting age entries to whole numbers within a specific range, applying date restrictions, creating dropdown lists for department selection, and displaying input messages for guidance. Additional resources for further Excel learning are also mentioned.

Uploaded by

shambhavik154
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Data validation

Excel Data Validation


Learn how to use Excel Data Validation to restrict the type of values you can enter in
your Excel spreadsheet.
7 minute read

Usage:
Excel data validation is a feature that allows you to set rules for data entry in a cell or
range of cells. This is useful when you want to ensure that the data entered in a cell or
range is accurate, consistent, and meets certain criteria. Data validation can help you
avoid input errors and improve the quality of your data.

For practical use, think about creating an Excel worksheet and sharing it with others to
fill in the requested information. The requested information can, for example, include the
user's name, date, and age. Data validation is commonly used to make sure the user
inputs the correct data type. So the user for example cannot type a number into a cell
intended for names and vice versa where the user can’t type text into a cell intended for
numbers.

Example 1: Number Restrictions (Restricting Age


Column)
Let us look at an example where the user must fill in their name, date of entry, age, and
department. To ensure the data the user enters is valid, select the column(s) used for
data entry. First, go to the ‘Data’ ribbon and click ‘Data Validation'.

The default selection is set so that any value can be entered in this column.

However, this is not the ideal representation of the values that need to be inserted for
the ‘Age’ column. With this in mind, the user can change the settings to only allow whole
numbers. Additionally, the user can create a specific range for the ages inserted, here
we use 18 years old (as a minimum) to 45 years old (as a maximum).

Now, if the user attempts to enter non-numbers or numbers less than 18 or greater than
45, a pop-up notification will appear, alerting the user that there is an input error.

Error Scenarios
Data validation
#1 Typing a word in the Age column

#2 Number less than 18

#3 Number greater than 45

Example 2: Date Restrictions


Next, we can look at another example of how the user can control entered data. Take,
for example, the ‘Date’ column which records an entry date. This column has dates
ranging from 2018 to 2022. Let’s walk through how you can apply date criteria to ensure
the dates are entered within a certain range.

First, select the dates of entry from the ‘Dates’ column and click the ‘Data Validation’
button.

Next, apply the necessary restrictions for this column. We want this column to include
only dates as values and range from 01-01-2021 to 12-12-2022.

After applying these restrictions, Excel does not automatically highlight values that fall
outside the set range. To pick out dates outside the range, go to ‘Data Tools’ and click
‘Circle Invalid Data’.

After clicking ‘Circle Invalid Data’, Excel will display the values within the selected
column that fall outside the restrictions placed. For example, the entry dates before 01-
01-2021 are circled in red to signify an error.

To remove the entry dates circled in red, the user needs to click ‘Clear Validation
Circles’ listed under ‘Data Tools’.
Data validation
Example 3: Input List (Department Selection)
Now let’s take a look at how we can use data validation to set up dropdown input lists
that users can use to enter data in the department column. This feature is useful
because it allows us to control a fixed set of inputs so that the user cannot enter
anything outside of the given list.

In this particular example, we are going to set up a data validation list that only allows
the user to input one of three departments: Math, Science, or History.

First, highlight the department column cells and go to data validation. Then select allow
“List.” From there, you can go to the source input bar and put in all of your input options
separated by commas. In this example, we would write our 3 options like this: “Math,
Science, History.”

Once that is applied, you’ll see that all of the department cells now have this dropdown
input feature that forces the user to only select values from the list.

Example 4: Input Prompt (Name Column Message)


Lastly, when setting up data validation restrictions, the user can enable Excel to display
an input message. The input message will provide a pop-up guidance message to help
the user correctly input data.

For example, the user can insert an input message to remind the user to only input their
first name. To do this, hover over the 'Name' column and click the 'Data Validation'
button.

First, the user can restrict the ‘Name’ column by selecting ‘Text length’. Then, the user
needs to pick the desired text length that captures the user’s first name, such as a
minimum of two text lengths and a maximum of 75 text lengths. With these settings, the
user cannot input text that is only one character long or text that is over 75 characters
long.
Data validation
Next, the user can click the ‘Input Message’ tab to write out the guiding prompt for the
user.

Now every time someone attempts to enter a name, a message appears to remind the
user to input their full first name as shown on their ID card.

Additional Resources
If you found this article on Excel data validation helpful and you're interested in learning
more ways to level up your Excel skills, check out our Excel for Business and Finance
Course and more using the get started button below.

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