VLOOKUP is a handy function that allows you to look up information in one Excel sheet and return it in another. But using it correctly can be a challenge.
There are four main parameters for the lookup function: the lookup value, the table array, the column index number, and the is_sorted parameter.
What is a lookup table?
A lookup table is a table that stores values that are used as the reference for VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP formulas. Usually, these tables contain numeric data such as the code for an item in a price survey, the code for a job in a labor survey, or the code of a crop in an agriculture survey.
The table_array argument of the lookup function is used to specify the list of values from which a lookup is performed. The value for this argument may be either TRUE or FALSE. If TRUE is selected, the function searches for an approximate match, whereas if FALSE is specified, it searches for an exact match.
If the lookup function is looking for an exact match, the list of values in the table_array must be sorted in ascending order. Otherwise, a #N/A error will be returned. The lookup function will not be able to find any value that matches the lookup value precisely if it is not in the correct order.
What is a lookup value?
A lookup value is the value you want to search for in a table array. The lookup value can be a number, a name, or any text. If the lookup value is a number, you can use the TEXT function to convert it to a text value. This can help VLOOKUP match more accurately with values that are formatted differently, such as numbers with leading zeros.
The first argument in the LOOKUP function is the lookup value. The second argument is the lookup_vector, which is a one-row or one-column range to search. The third argument is the column index number, which specifies which row or column in the lookup_vector to return a value from.
The fourth argument is the boolean flag, which indicates whether you want to find an approximate match or an exact match. A value of FALSE means you want an approximate match, and a value of TRUE means you want an exact match.
What is a table array?
The table array in VLOOKUP is the range of data from which the function looks for its output. This range must contain a column that contains the lookup value you supply to the function. If this column is not present in the range, the function will return the #N/A error.
Another critical point to note is that the lookup value must be greater than or equal to the lowest value in the table array. Otherwise, the function will return the #N/A or an approximate match instead of the desired result.
When using VLOOKUP, it is recommended to use a structured reference for the table array, like a named range. This helps prevent the table array from changing when the formula is copied to other cells. This method also allows you to use the TRIM function on your table array, which will remove any leading or trailing spaces in the names of your tables and columns.
What is a column index number?
The column index number is an integer value that specifies the position of the column in your table array from which you want to retrieve a value. This value must match the lookup value exactly (so if the lookup value is a text string, you must use the TEXT function to convert it to a number), or else VLOOKUP will return a #N/A error.
If you want VLOOKUP to search for an approximate match instead of an exact one, you can set the fourth parameter of the function to TRUE. With TRUE, VLOOKUP will assume that the first column in your table array is sorted either numerically or alphabetically and then look for a value that is closest to the lookup value.
Suppose you have a lot of columns in your table array that are used as your VLOOKUP reference cell range. In that case, you can simplify your code by using a helper column to generate the column index number for you automatically. To do this, you create a column that assigns a unique identifier to each row.
What is a wildcard?
A wildcard is a unique character that represents an entire group of characters. For example, the asterisk (*) and question mark (?) are wildcards. You can use these in VLOOKUP to look up values that have multiple characters.
VLOOKUP is used to search for a value in one column of a table and return a corresponding value from another column of the same row. The function has four parameters: lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, and range_lookup.
The range_lookup parameter controls matching. It can be set to FALSE for an exact match or TRUE for an approximate match. The default is FALSE.
Sometimes, VLOOKUP can give you incorrect results, especially if the lookup_value is a text string or an unsorted table. The solution to this problem is to use the TEXT function to convert your number to a text string with leading zeros or to create a helper column that assigns a unique identifier to each row of the table.
What is a conditional statement?
When the fourth argument is set to TRUE, VLOOKUP searches for an approximate match. It searches for the lookup value in the leftmost column of the table array, and if it can’t find it, it looks for the first more significant value in the same row and returns that.
This is a good option for situations when you want to retrieve data from different tables but don’t need exact matches. However, it would be best if you were careful with this option because it can return inaccurate results.
To avoid this, you should make sure that the column index number doesn’t change when you insert or delete columns in the table. Also, it would be best if you used the IF function or the INDEX MATCH functions to check for duplicates in your table array before using VLOOKUP. These functions will remove duplicates for you automatically, ensuring that your VLOOKUP function will work correctly.
