Microsoft Excel Interview Question: Difference between CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN Functions

CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN are two functions in Microsoft Excel that are used to combine multiple strings or values into a single string. However, there are some key differences between the two functions:

• CONCATENATE: The CONCATENATE function is used to combine multiple strings or cell values together. It allows you to specify each value or string individually as arguments within the function. For example, =CONCATENATE("Hello", "World") will result in "HelloWorld".
• TEXTJOIN: The TEXTJOIN function is used to combine multiple strings or cell values with a specified delimiter. This function allows you to not only combine values but also add a separator between them. For example, =TEXTJOIN("-", TRUE, "A", "B", "C") will result in "A-B-C".

Therefore, the main difference between CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN functions in Microsoft Excel is that TEXTJOIN allows you to easily add a separator between the values being combined, while CONCATENATE just combines the values without any delimiter.

Understanding the Difference Between CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN Functions in Microsoft Excel

When it comes to combining cells or text strings in Microsoft Excel, two commonly used functions are CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN. These functions serve a similar purpose but have subtle differences that are important to note.

CONCATENATE Function:

The CONCATENATE function in Excel is used to combine multiple cell values or text strings into a single cell. It allows you to merge data without any delimiter separating the values. For example, =CONCATENATE(A1, " ", B1) will combine the values of cells A1 and B1 with a space in between.

TEXTJOIN Function:

On the other hand, the TEXTJOIN function was introduced in Excel 2016 and is more versatile than CONCATENATE. With TEXTJOIN, you can specify a delimiter to separate the values being combined. For instance, =TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A1:C1) will merge the values of cells A1, B1, and C1 with a comma and space between each value.

Focus Keyword: Difference Between CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN Functions

In summary, the key difference between the CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN functions in Microsoft Excel lies in their ability to handle delimiters. CONCATENATE merges values without any separator, while TEXTJOIN allows you to specify a delimiter for more controlled concatenation. Understanding when to use each function can significantly streamline your data manipulation tasks in Excel.