Is there a coalesce-like function in Excel

Question

I need to fill a cell with the first non-empty entry in a set of columns (from left to right) in the same row - similar to coalesce() in SQL.

In the following example sheet

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|     |  A   |   B   |   C   |    D   |
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|  1  |      |   x   |   y   |    z   |
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|  2  |      |       |   y   |        |
---------------------------------------
|  3  |      |       |       |    z   |
---------------------------------------

I want to put a cell function in each cell of row A such that I will get:

---------------------------------------
|     |  A   |   B   |   C   |    D   |
---------------------------------------
|  1  |  x   |   x   |   y   |    z   |
---------------------------------------
|  2  |  y   |       |   y   |        |
---------------------------------------
|  3  |  z   |       |       |    z   |
---------------------------------------

I know I could do this with a cascade of IF functions, but in my real sheet, I have 30 columns to select from, so I would be happy if there were a simpler way.

Answer 1

To have Excel analyze the formula as an Array Formula after you enter it, hit CTRL + Shift + Enter. The first non-blank value within the specified cell range is returned by this. The formula is typed in the column with the header "a" for your example.