How to Use Microsoft Excel's VLOOKUP Function (A Steem-Ed Special Lesson!)
It's been my personal (anecdotal) experience that most people consider themselves Microsoft Excel experts -- where the wheat is separated from the chaff, though, is in the VLOOKUP function. Working in multiple organizations, I've come across relatively few who knew how to use it. That's the bad news.
The good news is that VLOOKUP is incredibly, ridiculously EASY!!! It's so easy that once you get over the VLOOKUP mystique, you'll feel like a retard because retards can easily perform this function!
However, there is absolutely NOTHING retarded about VLOOKUP! In fact, not using VLOOKUP when you have to analyze big data is about as retarded of a decision as you can make.
So, let's stop being retarded and get to work! :)
Conceptual Info to VLOOKUP
Why do you want to use VLOOKUP when scrolling for the information you want is easier?
This question comes up a lot, and it's a valid point...until you have to pour over 10,000 line items of data or more. Do you really want to scroll through that much information?
I thought not -- VLOOKUP gives you the ability to look up any bit of information -- a date, a name, a sales figure -- in a large information database.
For instance, let's say you wanted to lookup the closing price of the Dow Jones on October 3, 1956. You can scroll down on your spreadsheet like an idiot, or you can use VLOOKUP.
It's a tremendously powerful tool that is the beginning of all knowledge on Excel! :)
The Heart of VLOOKUP
At the heart of every VLOOKUP function is the following "architecture," if you will:
| VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup]) |
|---|
To which most people reply, what the f---?
Listen, I totally understand your frustration. Here's how VLOOKUP looks in English:
| =VLOOKUP | What to look for? | Where to search? | Which column # to get your answer? | Exact or approximate result? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VLOOKUP | lookup_value | table_array | col_index_num | [range_lookup] |
If this still looks like Chinese (or if you're Chinese, if this still looks like English), don't worry! Once you go through an actual VLOOKUP exercise, everything will click...I guarantee it!
For now, print out this post, or bookmark it, as you'll reference it in my next #Steem-Ed lesson, where we will go through an exercise.