Data Validation Study Material
Data Validation Study Material
Settings Tab
The settings tab provides us options to set validation criteria. The tab
helps us choose the desired validation rules from the built-in options
we want to allow in selected cells. Moreover, we can also set custom
rules with the customized formula to validate user inputs. The settings
tab contains all the data validation options present in Excel.
Input Message Tab
The input message tab has a text box to enter a message displayed as
soon as the respective cell is selected. The input message is an
optional feature of Data Validation. If we do not define any message
as an input message, excel does not show any message when the user
selects the respective cell with data validation. It does not affect the
working of the data validation and has no effect or control over what
the user enters into a cell. However, it can be helpful to inform users
about the allowed or expected data values.
Error Alert Tab
The error alert tab provides us options to control the way how the
validation is enforced. We can set criteria and then use any desired
error style to accept or reject the user inputs accordingly. Additionally,
we can also display a message to the user informing what the error is
or what values must be entered in corresponding cells.
There are currently three types of error styles in MS Excel, as listed
below:
o Stop: When the error style is set to 'Stop', Excel prevents users
from entering invalid data in respective cells. If a user enters
invalid data, it triggers a pop-up window with a specified
message, and the input is rejected.
validation.
o Information: When the error style is set to 'Information', Excel
informs users that the entered data is invalid. It displays a
different icon and a specified message. Like the Warning error
style, the Information error style also does nothing to prevent
invalid data.
Data Validation Options
When creating a data validation rule from the settings tab, we have
eight options to validate user inputs. They are as follows:
Apart from the validation options, the settings tab also displays two
checkboxes: