FIND and SEARCH in Google Sheets - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - FIND and SEARCH

Goal

Find where a word or letter appears in a text to help analyze product descriptions quickly.

Sample Data

Product ID	Description
101	Red cotton shirt
102	Blue denim jeans
103	Green silk scarf
104	Yellow cotton hat
105	Black leather belt
106	White cotton socks
107	Blue silk tie

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Count of descriptions containing the word "cotton"
  Formula: =COUNTIF(B2:B8, "*cotton*")
  Result: 3
• Table: Position of the word "silk" in each description (using FIND)
  Formula in C2: =IFERROR(FIND("silk", B2), "Not found") copied down to C8
  Results:
  Row 4: Not found
  Row 6: Not found
  Row 7: 7
  Row 8: 6
  Others: Not found
• Table: Position of the word "Blue" in each description (using SEARCH, case-insensitive)
  Formula in D2: =IFERROR(SEARCH("Blue", B2), "Not found") copied down to D8
  Results:
  Row 2: 1
  Row 3: Not found
  Row 8: 1
  Others: Not found

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+------------------------------+
|      KPI Card        |      Word Positions Table     |
|  (Count "cotton")   |  (FIND "silk" & SEARCH "Blue") |
+----------------------+------------------------------+

Interactivity

Add a filter to select product descriptions containing specific words like "cotton" or "silk". When you select a word, the KPI card and tables update to show counts and positions only for filtered products.

Self Check

If you add a filter to show only descriptions containing "silk", which components update?

• The KPI card count changes to count only descriptions with "cotton" among the filtered rows (likely less or zero).
• The FIND "silk" position table shows positions only for filtered rows (all should show positions, others hidden).
• The SEARCH "Blue" position table updates to show positions only for filtered rows.

Key Result

Dashboard shows how to find word positions and count descriptions containing specific words using FIND and SEARCH.

Practice

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

easy

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

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

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

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

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the behavior of FIND

   The FIND function looks for text inside another text and cares about uppercase and lowercase letters.

2. Step 2: Understand the behavior of SEARCH

   The SEARCH function also looks for text but ignores case differences.

3. Final Answer:

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

4. Quick Check:

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

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

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking SEARCH is case-sensitive
• Confusing FIND with SEARCH output types
• Believing FIND works only with numbers

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find the position of "cat" in cell A1 using the FIND function?

easy

A. =FIND("cat")

B. =FIND(A1, "cat")

C. =FIND("cat", A1)

D. =FIND(A1)

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall FIND function syntax

   The syntax is =FIND(search_for, text_to_search_in). So the text to find comes first, then the cell.

2. Step 2: Match syntax with options

   =FIND("cat", A1) matches the correct syntax: =FIND("cat", A1). Others have wrong order or missing arguments.

3. Final Answer:

   =FIND("cat", A1) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Correct syntax = =FIND("cat", A1) [OK]

Hint: Remember FIND needs text to find first, then where to find [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping the order of arguments
• Omitting required arguments
• Using only one argument

3. Given cell A1 contains the text "Hello World", what will be the result of =SEARCH("world", A1)?

medium

A. 7

B. 8

C. #VALUE! error

D. 6

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand SEARCH ignores case

   The text "world" is found in "Hello World" starting at the 7th character (space is 6th).

2. Step 2: Calculate position

   Counting characters: H(1) e(2) l(3) l(4) o(5) space(6) W(7) o(8) r(9) l(10) d(11). SEARCH finds "world" at position 7.

3. Final Answer:

   7 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   SEARCH ignores case, position 7 = 7 [OK]

Hint: SEARCH ignores case; count characters including spaces [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming case sensitivity causes error
• Counting position starting at 0 instead of 1
• Confusing FIND and SEARCH behavior

4. You used the formula =FIND("apple", B2) but it returns an error. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. FIND cannot search for words longer than 5 characters.

B. The text "apple" is not found exactly with matching case in B2.

C. B2 contains a number, and FIND only works with text.

D. The formula syntax is incorrect; FIND needs three arguments.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check FIND function behavior

   FIND is case-sensitive and returns an error if the text is not found exactly.

2. Step 2: Analyze possible causes

   If "apple" with exact lowercase letters is not in B2, FIND returns an error. Syntax is correct with two arguments, and FIND works with text regardless of length.

3. Final Answer:

   The text "apple" is not found exactly with matching case in B2. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Case-sensitive search missing text = The text "apple" is not found exactly with matching case in B2. [OK]

Hint: Check exact case match when FIND returns error [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking FIND needs three arguments
• Assuming FIND works only with text, not numbers
• Believing FIND limits word length

5. You want to find the position of the second occurrence of "cat" in cell A1 containing "scatter cat" using FIND. Which formula will correctly find it?

hard

A. =SEARCH("cat", A1, 2)

B. =FIND("cat", A1) + FIND("cat", A1)

C. =FIND("cat", A1, 2)

D. =FIND("cat", A1, FIND("cat", A1) + 1)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand FIND's start position parameter

   FIND can start searching from a specific position. To find the second occurrence, start after the first occurrence.

2. Step 2: Use nested FIND to locate second occurrence

   First FIND("cat", A1) finds position of first "cat". Adding 1 moves start to next character. Then FIND("cat", A1, first_position + 1) finds second occurrence.

3. Final Answer:

   =FIND("cat", A1, FIND("cat", A1) + 1) -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Nested FIND with start position = =FIND("cat", A1, FIND("cat", A1) + 1) [OK]

Hint: Use FIND inside FIND to locate second occurrence [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding FIND results instead of nesting
• Using SEARCH without case consideration
• Starting search at fixed position 2 instead of after first find