Google Sheets guide: How to use the sequence function in an effective manner

Google Sheets has become an integral part of the daily lives of millions all around the world due to its usefulness. Google's answer to Microsoft Excel has won the trust of all with its ease of use and multifaceted nature. One of the biggest utilities it offers is functionality, which makes several tasks easier to achieve and less time-consuming.

There are plenty of ways to fill data in Google Sheets, but not all are as efficient as the others. Formulas help save time on manual tasks, which would otherwise take a long time. More importantly, such options have increased the application's popularity, which only requires the use of an active internet connection.

While the sequence function is well-known among regular users, it is not popular. This has more to do with it being a formula rather than a difficulty in the process. The sequence function, however, has more utility than the standard methods and can be a lifesaver when operating with large volumes of data.

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The sequence function in Google Sheets is easy to use and works with different formats

At first glance, the sequence function will seem similar to the fill command when working with sequential data. After all, the fill feature does what its names suggest and is great when users are working on sequential data. However, there are a couple of good reasons why Google Sheets users should instead rely on the sequence function.

Sequence's extra set of arguments is a godsent at times, as it allows users to customize their entry. This function can even work with dates, which is very useful in chronological work. Hence, the grounds for its applications are enormous, and for what it offers, it has a relatively easy syntax to start with:

SEQUENCE (rows, columns, start, step).

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How to use SEQUENCE?

If the user just wants to enter basic information, All they need to do is type the following command:

=SEQUENCE(10)

This will automatically fill the first 10 applicable rows with numbers 1 - 10.

Users can also choose to spread the numbers across different rows with the following syntax:

=SEQUENCE(10,2)

Additionally, users might need to start with a particular number and then proceed accordingly. If they want to start from 100, in that case, this will be the applicable syntax:

=SEQUENCE(10,1,100)

Users can also make the difference between the numbers by more than one in Google Sheets. If they want to make it by 5, they have to type in the following command:

=SEQUENCE(10,1,100,5).]

Putting a negative sign in front of the gap will allow users to fill the data in descending order.

Interestingly, Google Sheets users can also use cell references and their values for gaps. Take a look at the following syntax:

=SEQUENCE(10,2,B5,B4)

In this, the value of B5 will be considered as the first filling data, and the difference will be the value located at cell B4. If B4 isn't there, the filling will start from the value of B5 and then move along gradually.

Unless mentioned otherwise, the data filling using the sequence function will always increase by 1.

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Using Sequence with dates

While Google Sheets does not allow the function to be used with alphanumerics, dates can still be filled with this syntax, which is relatively simple:

=SEQUENCE (10,1,MM/DD/YYYY)

Users can also increase the increase in days by more than one while using the following command:

=SEQUENCE (10,1,MM/DD/YYYY, 10)

In the case mentioned above, the fillings will increase by 10 days from one cell to another. All of this additional suitability allows users to use Sheets easily and saves time and effort.