How to use Vlookup in Excel - A simplest tutorial

You can use the VLOOKUP function to search the first column of a range of cells, and then return a value from any cell on the same row of the range. In this lecture we will learn how to use Vlookup with False or Exact Match. Whenever we have values exactly available in our lookup range we can use Vlookup with False. This will help us to get the final result.

In the earlier lecture we have learnt how to use Vlookup with False when we have exact lookup values available but what if, we have some approximate values available for lookup. In that case we can use Vlookup with True. We can either choose True from the dropdown list or we can write 1 in that argument. Both will work fine.

In this lecture we will cover how to use vlookup with Mixed Reference. Let me tell you guys this will help a lot in saving time while working because a number of times we face a situation in which we have to lookup the values from a data range but we have to keep either column or row to be freeze for further references. If you are not clear about how to use Mixed Reference then i'll advice you to please go through with the first lecture again and fully verse with references part and then jump into this lecture.

With this lecture i assume that you know how to use a logical function like "IF". Let me just give you a brief about IF function that, as per its syntax i.e. (logical_test, [value if true], [value of false]) it judges the condition we give it and on the basis of that it apply the result e.g. if i toss a coin, it will be considered as a "logical_test" , now if i demand heads so this is my condition so if this condition will become true than excel ask us that what we want it to show. It means that i demanded heads so i say that if head comes then this formula will show "You Win" otherwise "You loose" so i'll assign "You Win" to [Value if true] and "You loose" to [Value of false].

So we will club this function with Vlookup and tell excel to lookup values on the basis of some conditions.

The Microsoft Excel HLOOKUP function searches for value in the top row of table_array and returns the value in the same column based on the index_number

The syntax for the Microsoft Excel HLOOKUP function is:

HLOOKUP( value, table_array, index_number, [not_exact_match] )

value is the value to search for in the first row of the table_array.

table_array is two or more rows of data that is sorted in ascending order.

index_number is the row number in table_array from which the matching value must be returned. The first row is 1.

not_exact_match is optional. It determines if you are looking for an exact match based on value. Enter FALSE to find an exact match. Enter TRUE to find an approximate match, which means that if an exact match if not found, then the HLOOKUP function will look for the next largest value that is less than value. If this parameter is omitted, HLOOKUP will return an approximate match.

In this lecture we will see how to use lookup.

The Microsoft Excel LOOKUP function returns a value from a range (one row or one column) or from an array. There are 2 different syntaxes for the LOOKUP function:

In Syntax #1, the LOOKUP function searches for value in the lookup_range and returns the value in the result_range that is in the same position.

The syntax for the Microsoft Excel LOOKUP function is:

LOOKUP( value, lookup_range, [result_range] )

value is the value to search for in the lookup_range.

lookup_range is a single row or single column of data that is sorted in ascending order. The LOOKUP function searches for value in this range.

result_range is optional. It is a single row or single column of data that is the same size as the lookup_range. The LOOKUP function searches for the value in the lookup_range and returns the value from the same position in the result_range. If this parameter is omitted, the LOOKUP function will return the first column of data.

When deciding between which vertical formula to use in excel, the majority of Excel experts agree that Index & Match is a better formula than Vlookup. However, many people still resort to using VLOOKUP because it’s a simpler formula. One major driver of this problem is that most people still don’t fully understand the benefits of switching from VLOOKUP, and without such an understanding, they are unwilling to invest the time to learn the more complex formula.

In this lecture i'll explain you the advantage of using Index and Match togather.