I have a column full of names and need to randomly pick 300 of them.

**JoseK70** · 09-22-2011, 09:53 AM

I want to randomly pick 300 names out from column A, column A has about 3000 names. How do i accomplish this?

**Richard Buttrey** · 09-22-2011, 10:51 AM

Hi,

One way. Use a helper column B and enter the formula =RAND() in all 3000 rows. Copy the whole 3000 row range and paste it back as values. Then sort columns A&B using column B as the sort key.

Use the first A1:A300 as your random selection.

Regards

**Hoosaskin** · 09-22-2011, 02:05 PM

Or you could try this as a macro.

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**daddylonglegs** · 09-22-2011, 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by Richard Buttrey

One way. Use a helper column B and enter the formula =RAND() in all 3000 rows. Copy the whole 3000 row range and paste it back as values. Then sort columns A&B using column B as the sort key.

Why paste as values, Richard, is that part strictly necessary?

**JoseK70** · 09-22-2011, 04:27 PM

Thanks for the help

**Richard Buttrey** · 09-22-2011, 08:17 PM

Hi,

No I agree it's probably not necessary. I was perhaps wrongly assuming that this would be a one off exercise and was preventing a subsequent sort destroying the original random selection.

Regards