
In this example, the second parameter is A1:B6 which gives us two columns to data to use in the vertical lookup - A1:A6 and B1:B6. The second parameter in the VLOOKUP function is the table or the source of data where the vertical lookup should be performed. But if the search value was text, you would need to put it in double quotes, for example: =VLOOKUP("10251", A1:B6, 2, FALSE) Second Parameter Because it is a numeric value, you can just enter the number. This is the value that the VLOOKUP will search for in the first column of the table of data. In this example, the first parameter is 10251. The first parameter in the VLOOKUP function is the value to search for in the table of data. Now, let's look at the example =VLOOKUP(10251, A1:B6, 2, FALSE) that returns a value of "Pears" and take a closer look why.
Result: "Apples" 'Returns an approximate match Result: #N/A 'Returns #N/A error (no exact match) Result: $18.60 'Returns value in 3rd column Result: "Pears" 'Returns value in 2nd column
#How to use vlookup in excel to match two columns how to#
The range_lookup argument is a compelling way to sort out a column of mixed numbers into various categories.Let's explore how to use VLOOKUP as a worksheet function in Microsoft Excel.īased on the Excel spreadsheet above, the following VLOOKUP examples would return: =VLOOKUP(10251, A1:B6, 2, FALSE) Once you've pressed Enter and the result returns in the first cell, you can autofill the entire column to look up the range results for the rest of the cells in the lookup column.
TRUE: Enables the range_lookup feature of this function. 2: This is the column in the range lookup table that you want the LOOKUP function to return. $C$5:$D$8: This is a fixed table containing all of the ranges you want to use. C2: This is the lookup value, which can be in any cell in the spreadsheet. The example uses the following formula containing the VLOOKUP function to find the discount for quantities of goods purchased. Another way to set up a range lookup table would be to create a second column for the maximum, and this range would have a minimum of 11 and a maximum of 20. The example shows that the discount for the purchase of 19 items is 2% because 19 falls between 11 and 21 in the Quantity column of the lookup table.Īs a result, VLOOKUP returns the value from the second column of the lookup table since that row contains the minimum of that range. The example in the image above uses the VLOOKUP function to find the discount rate depending on the number of items purchased. Using the optional range_lookup argument is complicated for many people to understand, so it's worth looking at a quick example. The col_index_num argument is the resulting range value. The table_array contains all ranges and a column that contains the range value (such as high, medium, or low). The lookup_value is the value you want to check whether it falls inside a range defined by the table_array. If the range_lookup argument is TRUE, then: If omitted, the value is TRUE by default. The range_lookup argument is either "TRUE" or "FALSE." Use TRUE for an approximate match and FALSE for an exact match. Range_lookup (optional) - Indicates whether or not the lookup-value falls within a range contained in the table array. If you reference a number greater than the number of columns in the table array, the function will return the #REF! error. The first column must contain the lookup_valueĬol_index_num (required) - This is the column number of the value you want to find. The table_array must contain at least two columns of data.
Table_array (required) - This is the table of data (a range of cells) that VLOOKUP searches to find the information you need. Lookup_value (required): The value to search for in the first column of the table array. The four arguments for the VLOOKUP function are as follows: The VLOOKUP function might look confusing because it contains four arguments, but it's straightforward to use. =VLOOKUP(lookup_value,table_array,col_index_num,range_lookup)