Understanding Multi-sheet Data
As your data grows, putting everything in one sheet becomes messy. That's where multi-sheet organization comes in.
Why Multiple Sheets?
Imagine tracking employees and their departments:
Single Sheet Problem:
| Employee | Salary | Dept | Dept Location | Dept Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alice | 75000 | Engineering | Building A | 500000 |
| Bob | 68000 | Marketing | Building B | 300000 |
| Carol | 82000 | Engineering | Building A | 500000 |
- Redundancy: Same data stored multiple times
- Update issues: Change budget? Update every row!
- Inconsistency risk: What if one row says "Building A" and another "Bldg A"?
The Solution: Separate Sheets
Employees Sheet:
| Employee ID | Name | Dept ID | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Alice | 1 | 75000 |
| 102 | Bob | 2 | 68000 |
| 103 | Carol | 1 | 82000 |
| Dept ID | Name | Location | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering | Building A | 500000 |
| 2 | Marketing | Building B | 300000 |
The Lookup Concept
To combine information from different sheets, we use lookups:
- Find the Dept ID from the employee
- Look up that ID in the Departments sheet
- Bring back the related information
In this module, you'll work with multi-sheet workbooks and understand how data relates across sheets.