What is an Excel Helper Column?

An Excel helper column is an extra column added to the data only for simplifying some calculations or analyses.

A helper column is often used in Excel sheets to get complex formulas simplified.

Helper Column Example: Multiple Criteria Vlookup

Here I have a table of some employees. I want to get the salary of Rahul who is a Sr. Analyst.

I can do it in one VLOOKUP formula but what it will be easy to if I have a helper column.

In the table, I add a helper column that concatenates Name and Designation and then use it as a lookup column.

Helper Columns are often used in Excel Charts to add special features.

You can see the examples of helper columns in charts here.

So yeah guys, this was a short introduction to helper column and this is all it worths. I hope it was explanatory. If you have any doubts regarding this article or any other Excel VBA related topics, ask in the comments section below.

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