---
title: 'Google Sheets table references and LET'
url: 'https://spreadcheat.net/en/how-to/google-sheets-tabellen-und-let'
markdown: 'https://spreadcheat.net/en/how-to/google-sheets-tabellen-und-let.md'
lang: en
date: '2026-11-14'
description: 'Follow the same small calculation in Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. Understand table references, LET, LAMBDA and the limits of exchanging files.'
taxonomy:
  category:
    - Practice
---

[← All guides](https://spreadcheat.net/en/how-to)Published on 14.11.2026

# Google Sheets table references and LET

An understandable calculation starts with understandable data. Our application comparisons use one task: add the open amounts for the North team. Four records make the result easy to check independently. These explicitly fictional records contain no customer information.

| Team | Amount in EUR | Status |
|---|---|---|
| North | 120 | Open |
| South | 80 | Open |
| North | 30 | Closed |
| North | 50 | Open |

## Start with an independent expected result

Put headers in A1:C1 and records in A2:C5. The expected result is 170 EUR, from 120 plus 50. With English function names and comma separators:

```excel
=SUMIFS(B2:B5,A2:A5,"North",C2:C5,"Open")
```

Function names and separators may depend on language and locale. Adding another open North record worth 20 EUR should produce 190 EUR. A fixed range ending at row five does not automatically expand merely because another record is appended.

## A table does more than colour the rows

Google Sheets provides tables with named columns. Convert the data to a table named `Records` and use `Amount` as the amount column heading. A named-reference formula is:

```excel
=SUMIFS(Records[Amount],Records[Team],"North",Records[Status],"Open")
```

Table references account for data being added or removed. Their behaviour is not identical to Microsoft Excel in every detail: Google's documentation lists `#This Row` as unsupported and identifies limitations when selecting ranges for charts, pivot tables and conditional formatting. [Google on table references](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/15637642?hl=en).

## LET and LAMBDA are available too

Google Sheets documents LET for named intermediate results and LAMBDA for custom calculations. LET can name our result inside the formula:

```excel
=LET(total,SUMIFS(B2:B5,A2:A5,"North",C2:C5,"Open"),total)
```

The result remains 170 EUR. Adding a name does not itself improve the business rule; it becomes more useful when an intermediate expression is needed repeatedly. [Google on LET](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/13190535?hl=en), [Google on LAMBDA](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/12508718?hl=en).

Before exchanging a file with Microsoft Excel, test names, table growth and results in the actual applications. Vendor documentation establishes the described features, but does not establish complete compatibility of an arbitrary workbook. The other comparisons cover [LibreOffice Calc](https://spreadcheat.net/en/how-to/libreoffice-calc-tabellen-und-let), [Apple Numbers](https://spreadcheat.net/en/how-to/apple-numbers-tabellen-und-formeln) and [PlanMaker](https://spreadcheat.net/en/how-to/planmaker-tabellen-und-austausch).

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---

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