Master the CHOOSEROWS Function: Select Specific Rows from Arrays with Precision

This formula extracts three specific employee records from the range A1:D100. Row 2 contains the first selected employee, row 5 the second, and row 8 the third. The function returns all four columns for each selected row, maintaining the original data structure and allowing the manager to focus on specific employees without viewing the entire dataset.

Using a named range 'SalesData', this formula retrieves rows in a custom order determined by the manager's priority. The function doesn't sort the data automatically; instead, it returns rows exactly in the sequence specified. This is particularly useful for creating custom rankings or presentations where you need specific records in a particular order without modifying the source data.

This formula demonstrates that CHOOSEROWS can reference the same row number multiple times. Row 1 (the header) appears three times interspersed with data rows 3, 5, and 9. This technique is valuable for creating structured reports where headers need to repeat at intervals, improving readability for viewers analyzing multiple scenarios or sections.

This combination first sorts the data array by column 3 in descending order, then selects the top 5 rows from the sorted result. This is powerful for extracting top performers or highest-value items after dynamic sorting. The SORT function reorganizes rows based on specified criteria, and CHOOSEROWS then picks specific rows from that sorted result.

This formula combines FILTER to show only rows where column B exceeds 5000, then CHOOSEROWS selects rows 1, 3, and 5 from the filtered results. This two-stage approach allows you to first narrow data based on conditions, then select specific rows from the filtered subset, combining the power of conditional filtering with positional selection.

This advanced combination removes duplicate rows using UNIQUE, sorts the remaining unique rows by column 2 in ascending order, then selects the first three rows. Perfect for extracting top unique categories or non-duplicate records ranked by specific criteria, eliminating redundancy while maintaining sorted order and selecting specific positions.

Specifying a row number of 0 or negative numbers

Behavior: The function returns #VALUE! error because row numbers must be positive integers starting from 1

Solution: Use only positive integers (1, 2, 3, etc.) where 1 represents the first row of the array. If you need to handle dynamic row selection, validate input with IF statements before passing to CHOOSEROWS

This is a common mistake when creating formulas with user input or dynamic row number calculations

Source array with only one row (header row only)

Behavior: CHOOSEROWS returns that single row if you specify row number 1; returns #VALUE! if you specify any row number greater than 1

Solution: Check your array dimensions before using CHOOSEROWS. If your array might have variable row counts, use ROWS function to verify: =IF(ROWS(array)>=row_num, CHOOSEROWS(array, row_num), 'No data')

Useful for defensive programming when working with dynamic datasets that might be empty or contain only headers

Using CHOOSEROWS with array formulas that return variable-length results

Behavior: CHOOSEROWS may return #VALUE! if the array parameter returns fewer rows than specified in row_num arguments

Solution: Combine with IFERROR to handle cases where filtered arrays might be smaller than expected: =IFERROR(CHOOSEROWS(FILTER(data, criteria), 1, 2, 3), 'Insufficient rows')

Important when chaining multiple array functions together, as each stage might reduce the result set