How To Filter By Date In Google Sheets

How to Filter by Date in Google Sheets

Using the QUERY Function

To filter by date in Google Sheets, the QUERY function is highly effective. The basic syntax for filtering dates is date 'yyyy-mm-dd'. For instance, you can write:

=query(A:B, "select A, B WHERE B >= date 'yyyy-mm-dd'")

If the dates are in cells, convert them to the correct format using the text() function. This ensures that the QUERY function interprets the dates correctly.

Using the FILTER Function

The FILTER function can also be used to filter data by date in Google Sheets. The range you want to filter is the first argument of the FILTER function, followed by the condition. Here’s a sample syntax:

=FILTER(A4:B, B4:B >= B1, B4:B <= C1)

Make sure the date condition uses the correct format, and remember that both the range and condition need to be of the same length.

Filtering by Date Range

To filter data by a specific date range, combine the FILTER function with date conditions. For example, if you want to filter data between two dates, you would use:

=FILTER(A4:B, B4:B >= B1, B4:B <= C1)

This syntax will return all data within the specified range, where B1 and C1 are the start and end dates respectively.

Using DATE, MONTH, and YEAR Functions

For more complex date filtering, use additional functions like DATE, MONTH, and YEAR. To filter for a specific month or year, use:

=FILTER(A4:B, MONTH(B4:B) = 1)

Or for filtering by a year:

=FILTER(A4:B, YEAR(B4:B) = 2023)

Handling Errors

When filtering dates, use the IFERROR function to catch and handle any potential errors. This is particularly useful when using SEARCH within FILTER:

=IFERROR(FILTER(A4:A, SEARCH("criteria", A4:A)), "No results")

This ensures that your Google Sheets do not display errors but rather a user-friendly message when criteria are not met.

Google Sheets vs. Sourcetable

Google Sheets is a powerful tool for organizing and analyzing data. However, it requires users to manually input complex formulas, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors.

Sourcetable, on the other hand, is an AI-first spreadsheet designed to simplify advanced tasks. With an integrated AI assistant, Sourcetable writes complex spreadsheet formulas and SQL queries for you, making sophisticated data manipulation more accessible.

Integrating over 500 data sources, Sourcetable allows users to search and query data effortlessly. This comprehensive integration means specific tasks, like filtering by date, are much easier compared to Google Sheets.

For questions about filtering by date, Sourcetable's AI assistant provides instant, accurate assistance, streamlining the process and eliminating trial-and-error. In contrast, Google Sheets often requires users to manually search for functions or scripting methods to achieve the same result.

Overall, Sourcetable enhances productivity by making advanced spreadsheet tasks intuitive for all users, proving to be a superior option compared to Google Sheets for answering specific data queries.