The VLOOKUP Magic

The VLOOKUP Magic

Learn about one of the most powerful functions in Excel

The VLOOKUP function in excel is something I use pretty much anytime I open an excel file…

Let’s do a deep dive on how it works

➡️ How does the VLOOKUP function work?

The VLOOKUP function allows you to search through a range of data 👀

and then retrieve values based on specific criteria.

➡️ Syntax

=VLOOKUP(LOOKUP_VALUE,TABLE_ARRAY,COL_INDEX_NUM,[RANGE_LOOKUP])

Let’s break down this syntax:

◾ LOOKUP_VALUE → This is the value you want to search for in the first column of the table

◾ TABLE_ARRAY → This is the range of cells containing the data

◾ COL_INDEX_NUM → This is the column number in the table from which to retrieve the value

◾ RANGE_LOOKUP → This is optional. TRUE for an approximate match or FALSE for an exact match.

➡️ What are some important things to note about the VLOOKUP function?

It can be used for lookup up a precise value

For e.g. SUMIFS is a great function, but sometimes you don’t want to sum values in a range…

sometimes you just want to pull in an exact value.

That’s when you’ll want to use a VLOOKUP function.

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There’s a lot more to say about the VLOOKUP function…

What would you add?

Let us know in the comments below 👇

PS: Don’t forget to grab this infographic in high res via the link