Excel BYCOL Function Tutorial: Column Processing Made Simple (2025 Guide)

Published: February 3, 2025 - 2 min read

Ashley Lenz

The BYCOL function transforms how you work with column data in Excel. It lets you process entire columns at once using LAMBDA expressions, making complex calculations faster and more intuitive. This tutorial shows you exactly how to use BYCOL, from basic operations to advanced applications.

Create Your First BYCOL Function

Let’s start with a simple example to understand how BYCOL works.

Step 1: Prepare Your Data Create a sample dataset with sales figures across multiple columns:

Product A

Product B

Product C

100

150

200

200

250

300

300

350

400

Step 2: Write Basic BYCOL Syntax The basic structure of BYCOL is:

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=BYCOL(array, LAMBDA(column, expression))

Step 3: Calculate Column Totals Let’s sum each product column:

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=BYCOL(A2:C4, LAMBDA(col, SUM(col)))

This returns:

Product A

Product B

Product C

600

750

900

Calculate Column Averages with BYCOL

Step 1: Apply AVERAGE Function Replace SUM with AVERAGE in your LAMBDA expression:

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=BYCOL(A2:C4, LAMBDA(col, AVERAGE(col)))

Step 2: Format Results Add number formatting to display averages with two decimal places:

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=BYCOL(A2:C4, LAMBDA(col, ROUND(AVERAGE(col),2)))

Process Multiple Columns Simultaneously

Step 1: Compare Values Calculate the percentage of each value against the column total:

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=BYCOL(A2:C4, LAMBDA(col, col/SUM(col)))

Step 2: Create Conditional Calculations Find values above column average:

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=BYCOL(A2:C4, LAMBDA(col, IF(col>AVERAGE(col), “Above”, “Below”)))

Real-World BYCOL Applications

Sales Analysis Example

Sample Dataset:

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Q1 Sales

Q2 Sales

Q3 Sales

Q4 Sales

1000

1200

1500

1800

1200

1400

1600

2000

Calculate Quarter-over-Quarter Growth:

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=BYCOL(A2:D3, LAMBDA(col, (INDEX(col, 2) – INDEX(col, 1)) / INDEX(col, 1)))

Customer Rating Analysis

Process satisfaction scores (1-5) across different service aspects:

Step 1: Calculate Average Ratings

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=BYCOL(ratings, LAMBDA(col, AVERAGE(col)))

Step 2: Identify Top-Performing Categories

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=BYCOL(ratings, LAMBDA(col, IF(AVERAGE(col)>=4, “Excellent”, “Needs Improvement”)))

Essential BYCOL Syntax and Parameters

Key components:

  • array: The range of data to process
  • LAMBDA(column, expression): The function to apply
  • column: References each column in the array
  • expression: The calculation to perform

Getting More from BYCOL

BYCOL opens new possibilities for column-based calculations in Excel. Start with simple operations, then build more complex expressions as you become comfortable with the syntax.

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Ashley Lenz Product Researcher @ Coefficient
As a product researcher at Coefficient, Ashley taps into the power of data to create intuitive solutions that save users valuable time. By working closely with users, Ashley helps to uncover key insights that shape product features, enabling teams to streamline workflows and boost productivity. Her passion for data-driven research and optimizing user experiences fuels her work, ensuring the product delivers maximum efficiency and value.
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