What Is Concatenate Excel Columns?
The Concatenate Excel Columns is a useful function in Microsoft Excel that combines the text from two or more columns into one cell. This function is particularly useful when working with large data sets, and it streamlines the process of combining different columns’ information for analysis and reporting.
The following example help us understand CONCATENATE function in Excel to display the first and last names.
Step 1: To begin, select the cell where we wish to enter the formula and display the resulting calculation. So, select cell C2.
Step 2: Next, input the complete formula =CONCATENATE(A2, B2) into cell C2.
Step 3: Then, press Enter.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- Concatenate Excel Columns combines the text from two or more columns into one cell.
- It is important to note that a constraint exists on the number of strings that can be concatenated at once, which is set at a maximum of 255. Additionally, this limit translates to a character count of 8,192.
- Regardless of the input arguments, the output will consistently be a text string.
- Similarly, ensure that the correct arguments are used to avoid errors and ensure the proper functioning of the program. In this case, using arrays or a range of cells as an argument is not recognized.
How To Concatenate Two Columns In Excel?
To concatenate two columns in Excel, we can use the CONCATENATE excel function or the ampersand symbol (&). Both methods require selecting the cells where you want to combine the data and then entering a formula in an adjacent cell. The CONCATENATE function requires specifying each excel cell reference within parentheses, separated by commas. Alternatively, you can use the ampersand symbol to join the cells directly in the formula without needing parentheses. These methods work similarly with any number of columns that you’d like to concatenate –swap out references as needed!
Excel VBA – All in One Courses Bundle (35+ Hours of Video Tutorials)
If you want to learn Excel and VBA professionally, then Excel VBA All in One Courses Bundle (35+ hours) is the perfect solution. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, this bundle covers it all – from Basic Excel to Advanced Excel, Macros, Power Query, and VBA.
Examples
Example #1
The following example displays the first and last names, and we will utilize the CONCATENATE function in Excel.
Step 1: To begin, select the cell where we need to enter the formula. For this example, select cell C2.
Step 2: Next, input the complete formula =CONCATENATE (A2, B2) into cell C2.
Step 3: Then, press the Enter key. We can see the result in cell C2.
Now, press Enter and drag the cursor to cell C6, to obtain the results.
Step 4: Next, choose the cell where we will enter the formula. For this example, let us select cell D2.
Step 5: Then, enter the complete formula =CONCATENATE(A2,“ ”,B2) into cell D2.
Step 6: Press Enter key. Next, press Enter and drag the cursor to cell D6, as demonstrated in the subsequent image.
Example #2 – Concatenating Text String & Cell Value
The following example help us understand how to use concatenating text string & cell values using the Excel CONCATENATE function to display student scores.
Step 1: To begin, select the cell where we will enter the formula. For this example, let us select cell C2.
Step 2: Next, input the complete formula =CONCATENATE(A2, “Scored,” B2) into cell C2.
Step 3: Next, press Enter. We can see the result in cell C2.
Now, drag the cursor to cell C5 to obtain the results.
Example #3
Suppose we must display today’s date in a specific cell, say B2. In such cases, we can use CONCATENATE, TEXT, and TODAY functions.
The TODAY function in Excel provides the current date. However, it returns the result in an integer format, which needs to be converted into text and then into date format in excel. This is where the TEXT excel function comes into play. It converts the output of the TODAY function into the desired format, i.e., mm-dd-yyyy.
Next, the CONCATENATE function joins the converted date with the text Today is and a space, resulting in the desired output. It is worth noting that the & operator can also be used instead of the CONCATENATE function to achieve the same result. The only difference is that & has no limit on the number of strings that can be used, while CONCATENATE has a limit of 255 arguments and 8,192 characters.
The result obtained is shown in the below image.
Example #4
We must first understand the corresponding ASCII codes to concatenate columns using special characters such as line breaks in excel, forward slashes, and asterisks. The CHAR function in Excel allows us to identify these codes easily.
For instance, the ASCII code for a line break is CHAR(10), while the code for a forward slash is CHAR(47), and the code for an asterisk is CHAR(42). Armed with this knowledge, we can combine our data using these special characters.
Consider the following data set. We aim to concatenate the columns using a forward slash (/).
We can utilize Excel’s CHAR(47) function to achieve this. Doing so allows us to merge the columns and create a more organized and streamlined dataset.
Understanding the ASCII codes for special characters is crucial when concatenating Excel columns. Utilizing the CHAR function allows us to easily merge our data and create a more efficient workflow.
The result obtained is shown in the below image.
Important Things To Note
- Using Concatenate allows for creating more meaningful titles or labels that are easier to read and interpret than previously disjointed ones.
- Concatenate can be used creatively with certain formatting techniques to create charts or other visualizations that remain accurate even as adjustments are made to source data.
- The use of Concatenate requires attention to various syntax requirements depending on what precisely one wishes to display in their final cell output.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is possible to concatenate text and numbers in Excel. Concatenation involves combining two or more strings of text into one cell. However, when combining numbers and text, Excel needs to convert the number into a string before we can concatenate.
This is achieved using the TEXT function, which converts a given value into text format based on a specified format code. Once the number is converted to text format, it can be joined with other pieces of text using the CONCATENATE or “&” operators. It’s worth noting that converting numbers to text may affect their formatting, so users should be mindful of this when working with numerical data. Additionally, care should be taken to ensure that appropriate delimiter characters such as spaces or hyphens are included where necessary to make the concatenated string look presentable and easy to read.
The following example uses the CONCATENATE function in Excel to exhibit both first and last names.
Step 1: To start with, select the cell where we will enter the formula. For this example, let us select cell C2.
Step 2: Next, enter the complete formula =CONCATENATE (A2, B2) into cell C2.
Step 3: Then, press the Enter key. We can see the result in the below image.
The primary limitation is determined by the maximum file size of the system or software being used. Generally, a computer system can handle files up to several gigabytes, but exceeding this limit may cause performance issues or even lead to crashed systems.
Additionally, the available memory and processing power significantly determines how much data can be concatenated simultaneously. Insufficient memory or low processing power can cause delays or even halt concatenation.
Empty cells in a dataset can significantly affect the concatenation process. When merging data sets, empty cells impact the overall accuracy and completeness of the resultant output. Concatenating non-empty data without considering those which are empty leads to errors when interpreting or analyzing the final consolidated dataset. Therefore, removing all empty cells or their inputs identified before performing concatenation is essential. Various spreadsheet software offers tools for identifying and managing blank cells while concatenating datasets. Working with datasets containing empty cells requires extra caution in ensuring data quality, especially where missing values are not directly addressed within the original dataset documentation or already handled through suitable data cleaning processes.
Download Template
This article must help understand the Concatenate Excel Columns formula and examples. We can download the template here to use it instantly.
Recommended Articles
This has been a guide to Concatenate Excel Columns. Here we learn to combine text from two or columns into one cell using concatenate function, examples & downloadable template. You can learn more from the following articles –
Leave a Reply