How to Use the DAVERAGE Function in Excel

Today, we”ll delve into the DAVERAGE function, a highly useful tool in both Excel and Google Sheets for computing the average of values in a database that match specified criteria.

How the Function Works

The DAVERAGE function is structured as follows:

=DAVERAGE(database, field, criteria)

• database: A range of cells that constitutes the database, complete with column labels at the top.
• field: Specifies the column to be used in the average calculation. You can identify the column by its header enclosed in quotation marks, such as “Sales”, or by its numerical position, like 3 for the third column.
• criteria: A range that includes both the headers and the criteria for selecting rows for the average calculation. The criteria should be formatted as a table where field names are in one row and the conditions are in subsequent rows.

Examples of Using the Function

Consider a database of student scores:

To find the average math score for students with an English score above 85, use the DAVERAGE function like this:

=DAVERAGE(A1:D4, "Math", A6:B7)

This formula will calculate the average math score of students meeting the specified English score criteria, based on the conditions set in cells A6:B7.

Here”s another scenario: calculating the average science score for students named “Alice.” The formula would be:

=DAVERAGE(A1:D4, "Science", A9:B10)

This will compute the average science score for “Alice,” as defined by the criteria in cells A9:B10.

Using the DAVERAGE function in Excel or Google Sheets provides an efficient means to perform conditional averaging in your datasets, making it invaluable for data analysis and reporting.