Which function is utilized to count both numbers and text within a data set?

The function that is used to count both numbers and text within a dataset is COUNTA. This function is designed to provide a count of all non-empty cells, which includes both numeric and text entries. It is particularly useful when you want to get a sense of how many entries or data points exist in your dataset, regardless of their type.

In contrast, the COUNT function specifically counts only cells containing numeric values, which would not include any text or blank cells. AVERAGE calculates the average of numeric entries, while SUM totals numbers, and neither would assist with counting text entries in the dataset. Therefore, COUNTA is the appropriate choice when the goal is to account for both numbers and text in a count.