Naimul Hasan Arif
In our day-to-day life, sometimes we face the necessity of inserting random values instead of actual meaningful values. It will take a lot of time and hardship to input those values manually for a huge amount of values. In that case, we can use the RANDBETWEEN function and CHOOSE function to do this humongous task quite easily. I am going to explain two simple ways to use the RANDBETWEEN function with the CHOOSE function in Excel in this article. I hope it will be helpful for you if you are looking to generate random values from certain ranges.
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Introduction of RANDBETWEEN Function
RANDBETWEEN function is a built-in function in Excel that returns a random integer between a bottom and top value. The bottom and top values are inclusive, meaning the returned value can be either the bottom or top value.
Syntax
To use the RANDBETWEEN function, enter the following into a cell:
Replace “bottom” with the lowest integer you want returned and “top” with the highest integer you want returned.
Basic Concept of CHOOSE Function
The CHOOSE function, an Excel built-in function, is within the Lookup/Reference Function category. In Excel, it can be used as a worksheet function. The CHOOSE function is a worksheet function that can be used as a part of a formula in a worksheet cell.
Syntax
The syntax for the CHOOSE function is as follows:
Index_num means the position of the value to return. Index_num must be a number between 1 and 254, or a reference to a cell containing a number between 1 and 254.
Value1, Value2, … signifies 1 to 254 values from which the function chooses. Value1 is chosen when Index_num is 1, Value2 when Index_num is 2, and so on.
Notes
If Index_num is less than 1, the CHOOSE function returns the #VALUE! error value.
If Index_num is greater than the number of values in the list, the CHOOSE function returns the #VALUE! error value.
2 Simple Ways to Use RANDBETWEEN with CHOOSE Function in Excel
1. Extracting Random Data Using RANDBETWEEN with CHOOSE Function
A combination of RANDBETWEEN and CHOOSE functions can be used to extract a random value from the given options. If we do not need any specific value, we can use this method to extract random values to fill in the required cells.
Steps:
- Pick a cell and input the following formula.
=CHOOSE(RANDBETWEEN(1,3),"10/12/2022","10/16/2022","10/20/2022")
Formula Breakdown
RANDBETWEEN(1,3)—> The RANDBETWEEN function returns a random value between 1 to 3,
Output: 1
CHOOSE(1,”10/12/2022″,”10/16/2022″,”10/20/2022″)—> The CHOOSE function returns the first value from the available values.
Output: 10/12/2022
- Now, press the ENTER button to have the output.
- Finally, use Fill Handle to AutoFill the rest cells.
Read More: Advanced Uses of CHOOSE Function in Excel (9 Applications)
2. Applying RANDBETWEEN with CHOOSE Function to Generate Value from Certain Cells
If we want some specific values to input randomly, we can certainly apply a formula combining the RANDBETWEEN function with CHOOSE function. For this purpose, you can follow the following steps.
Steps:
- Create a column and enlist some specific cells with values that you want to input randomly.
- Now, select a cell and input the following formula to generate values randomly from the specific cells with values.
=CHOOSE(RANDBETWEEN(1,3),$E$5,$E$6,$E$7)
Formula Breakdown
RANDBETWEEN(1,3)—> The RANDBETWEEN function returns a random value between 1 to 3,
Output: 1
CHOOSE(1,$E$5,$E$6,$E$7)—> The CHOOSE function returns the first value from the first cell of the available cells..
Output: Protagonist
- Press the ENTER button to generate value from the specified cells.
- Now, AutoFill the rest cells.
Thus, we can easily use the RANDBETWEEN and CHOOSE functions to do this humongous task.
Read More: How to Apply CHOOSE Function to Create Drop-Down List in Excel
Practice Section
For more expertise, you can practice here.
Conclusion
That’s all for this article. In this article, I have tried to explain two simple ways to use the RANDBETWEEN function with the CHOOSE function in Excel. It will be a matter of great pleasure for me if this article could help any Excel user even a little. For any further queries, comment below. You can visit our site for more articles about using Excel.
