IFERROR for Cleaner Outputs
Replace expected formula errors with a controlled result.
What this solves
Show “Not found” when a lookup has no match. This pattern is useful when the business question is clear but a generic tutorial is too abstract.
The rule
=IFERROR(value,value_if_error)
=IFERROR(XLOOKUP(A2,$F:$F,$G:$G),"Not found")Google Sheets: The core pattern is also usable in Google Sheets; exact function support and locale separators can differ.
Real-work checklist
- Define the business key and expected grain before writing the formula, query or markup.
- Test the pattern on a small known sample where you can verify the answer manually.
- Check missing values, duplicates and data types before trusting a large result.
- Scale to the real file or database only after the logic is proven.
Common mistake
IFERROR hides every error type, so use it only after understanding what errors are acceptable.