Data cleaning in Excel is the process of fixing errors, removing duplicates,
Essential Data Cleaning Steps
- Make a Backup: Always copy your original worksheet before making any changes.
- Remove Duplicates: Select your data range, go to the Data tab, and click Remove Duplicates.
- Fix Extra Spaces: Use the =TRIM() function to clear extra leading or trailing spaces from text.
- Standardize Text Case: Use =PROPER(), =LOWER(), or =UPPER() to make capitalization consistent.
- Split Combined Data: Use Text to Columns on the Data tab to divide names or addresses into separate cells.
- Handle Blank Cells: Filter for empty rows or use Go To Special to fill missing values with placeholders like "N/A".
- Format Numbers and Dates: Right-click cells, choose Format Cells, and apply uniform date or number layouts