Excel VLookup Functions

The Excel VLookup functions are used for the location of particular information in a worksheet table. VLookup stands for vertical lookup.

The Excel VLookup functions are particularly useful when you have a large table of information such as a list of customers of a business and want to locate the item bought by each customer.

The syntax for VLookup functions is:

=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, column_index_number, range_lookup)

The lookup value can either be a text string, a number, cell reference or a true/false value. Table array refers to the specific data range where the information should be located. Column index number refers to the specific column and from which column a value should be returned.
Range lookup which is the last part of the argument is the true or false value which will tell the user whether an exact match could be located or not.

The functions are great tools when you need to find a value in one place and then insert that value in another location. If you for instance, have a list of clients in a worksheet called “Customers” and an order note in another worksheet called “Orders”, and want the program to fill in the details of the customer such as name and address when you type in the order number, you can make use of the function to do so.

In essence VLookup is thus used to find data and match with criteria as set by the user. To quickly get the function go to the function wizard on the menu and select more functions. Select the VLookup.

For complete instructions in a step by step manner, we recommend that you view our free online video based tutorials which also show the applications for the Excel VLookup functions. We also deal with the functions in our CD based and onsite courses which are run in Johannesburg South Africa. Become a power user of the program. We offer from basic to advanced courses to help you master the important functions in Excel through hands-on one or two day courses.