Excel Tutorial: How to VLOOKUP for Powerful Lookups

VLOOKUP, short for Vertical Lookup, is a popular Excel function for quickly finding information in a table based on a specific value. If you’re tired of manually searching large datasets, this tutorial will equip you with the skills to confidently navigate VLOOKUP!

Step 1: Prepare your data

1. Ensure your data is organized in a table format. Each row should represent a single record, and columns should have clear headings.
2. The lookup value (what you’re searching for) should be in the leftmost column of the table you’re searching (lookup table).

Step 2: Build the VLOOKUP formula

1. In the cell where you want the result, type =VLOOKUP(.
2. Enter the lookup value. This could be a cell reference containing the value you’re searching for, or the value itself in quotation marks (e.g., “Apple”).
3. Type a comma ,.
4. Specify the range containing the lookup table. Select the entire table, including the column containing the lookup values. Alternatively, enter the range reference manually (e.g., A1:F10).
5. Enter another comma ,.
6. Define the column index of the value you want to return. Count the columns from the left, starting with the lookup value column as 1.
7. Choose FALSE or 0 for an exact match. Choose TRUE or 1 for an approximate match (not recommended for large datasets).
8. Close the parenthesis ).

Example:

You have a product table with names in column A and prices in column B. You want to find the price of “Apple” in a separate sales table.

• Formula: =VLOOKUP("Apple",A1:B10,2,FALSE)

Step 3: Master advanced techniques

1. Wildcards: Use * as a wildcard to match partially entered text (e.g., “App*” to find “Apple” or “Apricot”).
2. Table references: Reference named tables (e.g., =VLOOKUP("Apple",Products[Name:Price],2,FALSE)).
3. Error handling: Use IFERROR to display a message if no match is found.

Step 4: Practice and explore

Experiment with different scenarios and combine VLOOKUP with other functions. Remember, practice makes perfect!

Bonus Tips:

• Always double-check your formula for accuracy.
• Use absolute cell references when copying the formula across rows or columns.
• Explore alternative lookup functions like HLOOKUP and INDEX/MATCH for more complex scenarios.