The UPPER function will convert any string into all uppercase characters. UPPER is one of a few different text functions that work to standardize text strings, the others being LOWER and PROPER.
Syntax
= UPPER([text])text = any text string, can be hardcoded inside of quotes or a cell reference
Explanation
This function is part of the "Text" function group. Its sole purpose is to take all lowercase characters in a string and convert them to capitalized characters. The opposite of what the LOWER function.
The UPPER function will only affect lowercase characters (a -> z). Symbols and uppercase characters are not effected by the function.
In general, character case only matters visually. In very specific circumstances, casing can effect calculations, (using the EXACT formula, the string "DESK" is different from "desk"), but for the most part it will just give your workbook a cleaner, more uniform look.
Examples
1. Convert Text Cells into All Uppercase Characters
This is the base use for the UPPER function. Using the UPPER function, we can convert any cell that contains text into uppercase characters. This can be most useful when trying to clean and standardize data like part numbers or state abbreviations.
= UPPER([text])
2. Combine Cells using TEXTJOIN, Keeping Section Uppercase
Here is a practical use case for UPPER. Here we are given an address, city, and a state, and need to combine them into one "address" string for reporting. Using TEXTJOIN, we are joining the cells in column B, C, and D, together with a space, (designated by the " "), between each cell. Instead of just combining the State cell as is, by combining the UPPER, the state abbreviation is converted into uppercase, leaving the other cells as is. This gives more control over what is capitalized, avoiding fully converting the entire string into caps.
= TEXTJOIN(" ",,B3,C3,UPPER(D3))