The VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP formula in Excel allow you look up a value in one column or row and return a corresponding value from a different column or row. VLOOKUP is a vertical lookup and HLOOKUP is a horizontal lookup
The table of data below contains 4 columns. A Product Number, the Supplier, the quantity in stock and the cost price. With a small table of data like this it is easy with the eye to look at a product number and see who the supplier is, how much is in stock and how much it cost. But imagine you had a large table of data, scrolling through it, or using the filters to find the sock code is not efficient. This is where VLOOKUPs are very powerful.
VLOOKUP = (lookup value, table array, column index, range lookup)
Lookup value is the value you wish to look up. This value must be in the far most left column of the table
Table array is the table in which you want to search
Column index is the column number you wish to return the data from
Range lookup offers a true or false selection. Where true is an exact match and will only return a value where an exact match is found. When using an Approx. match (false), items in the table must be sorted from lowest to highest, or in alphabetical order.
