Learn how to use Excel’s dynamic array formulas to automate data pairing, save time, and unlock new insights in your analysis. Excel arrays ...

Microsoft is making some improvements to how formulas work in Excel, with a new feature called Dynamic Arrays that allows formulas to output values to more than one cell at a time.

But what if there was a way to make your Excel formulas not just smarter, but dynamic? Dynamic arrays in Excel have transformed data management, making formulas more efficient and adaptable.

Q. How do I use the FILTER function in Excel, and how is this an improvement over the filter feature? A. The FILTER function was introduced five years ago as part of the Excel Dynamic Arrays rollout.

As an enhancement to Excel’s calculation engine, the Dynamic Arrays functionality enables a single formula to produce results that expand into other cells, as demonstrated in the SORT example below.

However, if an Excel formula returns a set of values, the result will spill over to neighboring cells. Spilling and dynamic array formulas are not supported in Excel 2019 or earlier.

Populating a dropdown with a dynamic list is easy thanks to Microsoft Excel’s UNIQUE() dynamic array function.

While this formula type generates a dynamic array, it is incompatible with Excel tables. You can simply reference the value within the same row and copy the formula downwards.

Use the RANDARRAY() dynamic array function to return random names or other text in Microsoft Excel.