How to Trigger a Unique List of Values Based Upon Another Drop-Down List in Excel

You can use the INDIRECT() Function in Excel to create a drop-down list of unique values that is“triggered” by the label that you select in another drop-down list. In the scenario that I use in this lesson:

Create your 1st Drop-down list using Data Validation in Excel – Allow “List.” Here the named range is “Departments.”
Create a 2nd Drop-down list using Data Validation. This time the “list” uses the INDIRECT Function to reference the selected label from the 1st drop-down list.

Key Concept

The labels in my 1st drop-down list serve as “named range” references. That is why the INDIRECT Function is able to pull up the correct list of “Job Titles” in the 2nd Drop-down list. For example, a reference to the text label “Sales” in the 1st drop-down list brings up a list of the values (Job Titles) from the “Named Range” (Sales) in the 2nd Drop-down list.

If you need to learn about – or review – Data Validation in Excel, follow this link to my free Excel video lesson on this topic.

Create Named Ranges in Excel

I have found that creating and using “Named Cell Range” references makes lookup functions and formulas so much easier in Excel. Watch this video to see how I use a variety of methods to Create Named Ranges in Excel. One tip is to use the Keyboard Shortcut “Ctrl + Shift + F3” – after you first select the Label and the Values for your Named Range.

In this lesson, I also demonstrate how to visually “flag” all of the cells that do not meet the criteria for your Data Validation. I find that most people are unaware that you can do this! I think that you will find many uses for this auditing tool as you work in Excel.