How do you use VLOOKUP to match data from different sheets?

1 What is VLOOKUP?

VLOOKUP stands for vertical lookup. It takes four arguments: the lookup value, the table array, the column index number, and the range lookup. The lookup value is the value you want to find in the first column of the table array. The table array is the range of cells that contains the data you want to return. The column index number is the number of the column in the table array that contains the value you want to return. The range lookup is a logical value that specifies whether you want an exact match (FALSE) or an approximate match (TRUE).

2 How to use VLOOKUP to match data from different sheets?

To use VLOOKUP to match data from different sheets, you must ensure that the first column of the table array in the other sheet contains the same values as the lookup value in the current sheet. For instance, if you want to look up the price of a product in Sheet2 based on the product name in Sheet1, the first column of Sheet2 should have the product names. Then, you must write the VLOOKUP formula in the cell where you want to return the value from the other sheet. For example, if you want to return the price of the product in Sheet1, cell B2, you can write =VLOOKUP(A2,Sheet2!A:B,2,FALSE). This means that you want to look up the value in A2 in the first column of Sheet2, and return the value from the second column of Sheet2, with an exact match. Finally, you can copy and paste the formula to the other cells in the same column, or drag the fill handle to fill the column, thus applying the VLOOKUP formula to the other lookup values in the current sheet.

4 How to use VLOOKUP with other functions?

VLOOKUP can be used in conjunction with other functions to achieve more complex tasks and calculations. For instance, if you want to return a zero instead of #N/A when VLOOKUP cannot find a match, you can use IFERROR to do so, writing =IFERROR(VLOOKUP(A2,Sheet2!A:B,2,FALSE),0). Additionally, you can use MATCH to look up values in any column of the table array. For example, if you want to look up the price of a product in Sheet2 based on the product code in Sheet1, and the product code is not in the first column of Sheet2, you can write =VLOOKUP(A2,Sheet2!A:D,MATCH("Price",Sheet2!A1:D1,0),FALSE). This means that you want to look up the value in A2 in the column of Sheet2 that has "Price" in the first row, with an exact match. Lastly, you can use INDIRECT to look up values in different sheets based on a sheet name. For example, if you want to look up the price of a product in Sheet2, Sheet3, or Sheet4 based on the product name in Sheet1 and the sheet name in Sheet1, cell C2, you can write =VLOOKUP(A2,INDIRECT(C2&"!A:B"),2,FALSE). This means that you want to look up the value in A2 in the sheet name that is in C2, and return the value from the second column of that sheet, with an exact match. By combining VLOOKUP with these other functions, you can create more complex calculations and tasks.