All language subtitles for 5. Extracting Unique Values - The UNIQUE Function

In the last lesson, I showed you how you can use the advanced filter to extract a unique list of values,

and I mentioned in that lesson that now in Excel, we have a brand new four Excel 2021 function that

will do exactly the same thing.

And not surprisingly, it's called the unique function.

And I have to say that if I need to extract a list of unique values, this is my go to method.

I don't tend to use the advanced filter as much as I do unique, and I'm sure this is one of those functions

that you're going to find yourself using all the time.

Now, the unique function does exactly the same as the advanced filter.

It lets us extract a unique list of values.

So if I want to use the unique function to extract a unique list of all of the sales reps, all I need

to do is click in a cell and type equals unique.

Press the tab key.

Notice I have three arguments now, the last two arguments are optional arguments they're showing in

square brackets.

So if you simply just want to extract a unique list, you only need to specify the array argument so

that the array argument is basically the column that contains the unique values be five to be 28.

So all I need to do is select it, close the bracket, hit enter, and I get my unique list of values.

And because this is a dynamic array, if any of these were to change, this list is going to update

as well.

So if I was to change one of these to mark, you can see it now, adds Mark onto the end of the unique

list of sales reps.

Now, once again, if I was to add something to the bottom of this list, so if I just drag this down

and let's say, Matthew, it's not going to update that unique list because we've chosen to extract

this unique list from this range only it stops short of any new items added on to the end.

So of course, we could combine this with a table which will auto expand and add dynamic array will

update automatically.

So let's just take a look at that.

Let's click in our data control t yes, my table has headers.

Let's click on.

OK, now I'm going to give my table a name, so let's click on table design and in the table name group.

Let's call this sales reps and hit enter.

So now I can use this table and this will be completely dynamic.

So I want to extract my unique list from the sales rep column and notice.

Because I've put this data into a table, the annotation is different.

It's showing me the table name, which is sales reps, and then I have the column that I've selected

in square brackets.

So if I close this and hit enter, I get that same unique list.

But if I was to add another entry on the bottom, that's just drag this down and add in my view when

I press the tab key.

You can see that that unique list now dynamically updates.

So just bear that in mind when you're working with this unique function.

Now, as I mentioned, when you're using unique, there are some other arguments, some optional arguments

that we have.

So let's just take a look at how those work.

So let's type equals unique again, the array.

Well, let's stick with the sales rep column.

Comma.

Now I can specify if I want to return unique columns or unique rows, so if I was to choose the true

argument here to return the unique columns, if I had column headings that were repeated running across

the top, I could use the true argument just to extract the unique columns.

I will say that most of the time you're going to use this to return unique rows, and that is in fact

the default if you don't specify this option.

So let's just type in false.

And the last argument we have here allows us to either return items that appear exactly once in our

range or return every distinct item.

So if I want to return the six individual sales reps, I would use the false argument.

And again, that one is the default if you don't specify anything.

But what about if I just wanted to see sales reps that appeared exactly once in my selected range?

And because I've just added Matthew on the bottom here, he only occurs once in this list.

So if I just wanted to see Matthew, I could use true on the NTA because it's going to pull back values

that occur exactly once you enter.

Oh, I actually have to.

Yes, I do.

I've got Mark in here.

He only occurs once as well and also Matthew.

So those are the additional arguments that you have when using.