FIND and SEARCH in Excel - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - FIND and SEARCH

Goal

Find where a word or letter appears in a text to help analyze customer feedback quickly.

Sample Data

Customer	Feedback
Alice	Great product, fast delivery
Bob	Good quality but slow shipping
Carol	Excellent support and fast response
David	Product arrived damaged
Eve	Fast delivery and good packaging

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Position of word "fast" in feedback using =FIND("fast", B2) for Alice (returns 15)
• KPI Card: Position of word "Fast" (case-insensitive) using =SEARCH("Fast", B2) for Alice (returns 15)
• Table: Positions of "fast" in all feedbacks using =IFERROR(FIND("fast", B2), "Not found") copied down rows 2-6
• Table: Positions of "Fast" (case-insensitive) in all feedbacks using =IFERROR(SEARCH("Fast", B2), "Not found") copied down rows 2-6
• Summary: Count of feedbacks containing "fast" (case-sensitive) using =SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(FIND("fast", B2:B6))) (returns 2)
• Summary: Count of feedbacks containing "Fast" (case-insensitive) using =SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH("Fast", B2:B6))) (returns 3)

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+-----------------------+
|  KPI: FIND Position  |  KPI: SEARCH Position  |
|  (case-sensitive)    |  (case-insensitive)   |
+----------------------+-----------------------+
|  Table: FIND Results  |  Table: SEARCH Results |
|  Positions or "Not"  |  Positions or "Not"  |
+----------------------+-----------------------+
|       Summary Counts (case-sensitive and insensitive)       |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

Add a filter to select a customer name. When a customer is selected, the KPI cards and tables update to show the FIND and SEARCH results only for that customer's feedback. The summary counts update to reflect how many feedbacks in the filtered list contain the word "fast".

Self Check

If you add a filter for Customer = "Bob", which components update?

• KPI cards show FIND and SEARCH positions for Bob's feedback.
• Tables show positions or "Not found" only for Bob.
• Summary counts update to count only Bob's feedback containing "fast".

Key Result

Dashboard shows where the word 'fast' appears in customer feedback using FIND (case-sensitive) and SEARCH (case-insensitive) with counts and positions.

Practice

1. What is the main difference between the FIND and SEARCH functions in Excel?

easy

A. FIND returns the length of the text; SEARCH returns the position.

B. SEARCH only works with numbers; FIND works with text.

C. FIND is case-sensitive; SEARCH is not case-sensitive.

D. SEARCH is case-sensitive; FIND is not case-sensitive.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the behavior of FIND

   The FIND function looks for a substring inside text and is case-sensitive, meaning it treats uppercase and lowercase letters differently.

2. Step 2: Understand the behavior of SEARCH

   The SEARCH function also finds a substring but ignores case differences, so it is not case-sensitive.

3. Final Answer:

   FIND is case-sensitive; SEARCH is not case-sensitive. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Case sensitivity difference = FIND is case-sensitive; SEARCH is not case-sensitive. [OK]

Hint: Remember: FIND cares about case, SEARCH ignores it [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking SEARCH only works with numbers
• Confusing which function is case-sensitive
• Believing FIND returns length instead of position

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax for the FIND function in Excel?

easy

A. =FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num])

B. =FIND(within_text, find_text, [start_num])

C. =FIND(find_text, start_num, within_text)

D. =FIND(start_num, find_text, within_text)

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the order of arguments in FIND

   The correct order is find_text (the text to find), within_text (where to look), and optional start_num (where to start).

2. Step 2: Match the syntax with options

   =FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num]) matches this order exactly, so it is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   =FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num]) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Correct argument order = =FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num]) [OK]

Hint: Remember: FIND(find_text, within_text, start_num) [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping find_text and within_text arguments
• Placing start_num before within_text
• Using incorrect argument order causing errors

3. Given cell A1 contains the text "Hello World", what will the formula =FIND("o", A1) return?

medium

A. 8

B. 5

C. 7

D. 6

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the position of "o" in "Hello World"

   The text is "Hello World". Counting letters: H(1) e(2) l(3) l(4) o(5) space(6) W(7) o(8) r(9) l(10) d(11). The first "o" appears at position 5.

2. Step 2: Understand FIND returns first occurrence position

   FIND("o", A1) returns the position of the first "o", which is 5.

3. Final Answer:

   5 -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   First "o" position = 5 [OK]

Hint: Count characters to find first match position [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing position of second 'o' instead of first
• Counting space incorrectly
• Confusing FIND with SEARCH case sensitivity

4. You have the formula =FIND("apple", B1) but it returns an error. Which fix will most likely solve the problem?

medium

A. Replace FIND with SEARCH to ignore case

B. Add a start number argument like =FIND("apple", B1, 5)

C. Use =FIND(B1, "apple") instead

D. Change "apple" to "Apple" if B1 contains "Cherry pie"

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand FIND is case-sensitive

   If B1 contains "Apple pie" with capital A, =FIND("apple", B1) will error because "apple" (lowercase) is not found exactly.

2. Step 2: Use SEARCH to ignore case

   Replacing FIND with SEARCH ignores case differences, so =SEARCH("apple", B1) will find "Apple" regardless of case.

3. Final Answer:

   Replace FIND with SEARCH to ignore case -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use SEARCH for case-insensitive find [OK]

Hint: Use SEARCH to avoid case errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping arguments incorrectly
• Adding start_num without fixing case
• Changing text case without changing function

5. You want to find the position of the second occurrence of the letter "e" in cell A2 containing "Experience". Which formula will correctly return this position?

hard

A. =SEARCH("e", A2, 2)

B. =SEARCH("e", A2) + 1

C. =FIND("e", A2, 2)

D. =FIND("e", A2, FIND("e", A2) + 1)

Solution

1. Step 1: Find first occurrence position of "e"

   Using FIND("e", A2) returns the position of the first "e" in "Experience".

2. Step 2: Use that position + 1 as start_num to find second occurrence

   To find the second "e", start searching just after the first found position: FIND("e", A2, FIND("e", A2) + 1).

3. Final Answer:

   =FIND("e", A2, FIND("e", A2) + 1) -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Nested FIND finds second occurrence [OK]

Hint: Nest FIND to locate second occurrence [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using fixed start_num without first FIND
• Adding 1 to SEARCH result incorrectly
• Using SEARCH with wrong start_num