How to get the column names in excel - excel

Question

I am currently working on converting an excel table with >100 calculated columns into a DAX table with similar calculated columns.
Excel formula refers to the columns by their column coordinates, e.g. sum = A2+B2
whereas DAX refers the column name in the formula, e.g. sum = Principal +Interest
Now, when I am trying to convert excel version of sum=A2+B2, is there any clever way for me to find out A=Principal and B= Interest in the spreadsheet.
I am talking about a table which has >50 non calculated columns and >100 calculated columns to be converted to comparable DAX model. Every time I look into a formula for the calculated columns in excel,
e.g.
Interest = =IF(AND(AR7="Pending",OR(V7="Completed",V7="Approved", LEFT(V7,4)="OPEN")),IF(U7*1>0,U7*1,N7)/VLOOKUP(F7,Tax!A:B,2,0),0)
I need to go back and forth in the table to find out what are the corresponding column for each coordinate in this.
Is there any clever way for me to find out what column names correspond to which column coordinate in the above formula, for example AR=Status, V=Application, U=Amount.....
Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Thanks everyone. I think I managed to solve it using Power query. The following generates a table for an excel table with columns from A-ZZ and their corresponding coordinates.
Table Name - Query1
let
Source = {"A","B","C","D","E","F","G","H","I","J","K","L","M","N","O","P","Q","R","S","T","U","V","W","X","Y","Z"},
#"Converted to Table" = Table.FromList(Source, Splitter.SplitByNothing(), null, null, ExtraValues.Error),
#"Added Custom" = Table.AddColumn(#"Converted to Table", "Custom", each {"A","B","C","D","E","F","G","H","I","J","K","L","M","N","O","P","Q","R","S","T","U","V","W","X","Y","Z"}),
#"Expanded Custom" = Table.ExpandListColumn(#"Added Custom", "Custom"),
#"Inserted Merged Column" = Table.AddColumn(#"Expanded Custom", "Merged", each Text.Combine({[Column1], [Custom]}, ""), type text),
#"Removed Columns" = Table.RemoveColumns(#"Inserted Merged Column",{"Column1", "Custom"}),
#"Renamed Columns" = Table.RenameColumns(#"Removed Columns",{{"Merged", "Column1"}}),
Custom1 = #"Converted to Table"&#"Renamed Columns",
#"Added Index" = Table.AddIndexColumn(Custom1, "Index", 1, 1) in
#"Added Index"
Now if I have a table like following, I run COLUMN syntax on my data source columns which produces the column number and I can use the previous PQWRY table to this to get the names
then
let
Source = Table.FromRows(Json.Document(Binary.Decompress(Binary.FromText("i45WUtLBQLE60UoupcnZCkCOe35+cSqQds4vB3EDMtNT8/OADI/8ouJUqAiIcs7ITM5OzQPrNQTyjYDYGIhNgNgUiM2A2FwpNhYA", BinaryEncoding.Base64), Compression.Deflate)), let _t = ((type nullable text) meta [Serialized.Text = true]) in type table [Column1 = _t, Column2 = _t, Column3 = _t, Column4 = _t, Column5 = _t, Column6 = _t, Column7 = _t]),
#"Changed Type" = Table.TransformColumnTypes(Source,{{"Column1", type text}, {"Column2", type text}, {"Column3", type text}, {"Column4", type text}, {"Column5", type text}, {"Column6", type text}, {"Column7", type text}}),
#"Removed Top Rows" = Table.Skip(#"Changed Type",1),
#"Transposed Table" = Table.Transpose(#"Removed Top Rows"),
#"Changed Type1" = Table.TransformColumnTypes(#"Transposed Table",{{"Column2", Int64.Type}}),
#"Merged Queries" = Table.NestedJoin(#"Changed Type1", {"Column2"}, Query1, {"Index"}, "Query1", JoinKind.LeftOuter),
#"Expanded Query1" = Table.ExpandTableColumn(#"Merged Queries", "Query1", {"Column1"}, {"Column1.1"}),
#"Removed Columns" = Table.RemoveColumns(#"Expanded Query1",{"Column2"}),
#"Renamed Columns" = Table.RenameColumns(#"Removed Columns",{{"Column1.1", "Alphabetical_Coordinate"}}) in
#"Renamed Columns"
which gives me this

Answer 2

You can use VBA and the precedents member of the range object to get this. It will work for everything on the current sheet. I was not able to pick up the Tax!A:B and didn't have time to look further. Although, slightly incomplete, I at least wanted to provide this answer as a very good start
Sub formulaByField()
Dim formula As String
formula = Selection.formula
Debug.Print formula
Dim p As Range
For Each p In Selection.Precedents
'Debug.Print p.Address(False, False)
'Debug.Print Selection.Parent.Cells(1, p.Column).Value
formula = Replace(formula, p.Address(False, False), Selection.Parent.Cells(1, p.Column).Value)
Next
Debug.Print formula
End Sub
Code based on this setup:
Output
=IF(AND(A7="Pending",OR(B7="Completed",C7="Approved", LEFT(C7,4)="OPEN")),IF(D7*1>0,U7*1,E7)/VLOOKUP(F7,Tax!A:B,2,0),0)
=IF(AND(Duck="Pending",OR(Goose="Completed",Cow="Approved", LEFT(Cow,4)="OPEN")),IF(Pigeon*1>0,*1,Horse)/VLOOKUP(Pig,Tax!A:B,2,0),0)