How To Vlookup In Google Sheets

by

Google Sheets, a robust and free-to-use online spreadsheet program, comes packed with many advanced functions to help you manage and analyze data effectively. One such function is VLOOKUP. This is a versatile function that you can use to look up and retrieve data from a specified column in a table.

Understanding VLOOKUP

VLOOKUP stands for ‘Vertical Lookup’. It is used to search the first column of a range of cells and then return a value from any cell on the same row of the range.

Structure of the VLOOKUP Function

The VLOOKUP function comprises four parameters:

  • search_key: The value to search for. This can be a value, a reference or text.
  • range: The range to consider for the search.
  • index: The column index of the value to be returned, where the first column in the range is numbered 1.
  • [is_sorted]: [Optional] A boolean indicating whether the column to be searched is sorted.

How to Use VLOOKUP in Google Sheets

Assume you have a table in range A1:B5, and you want to find the price of “Apples”. The VLOOKUP formula would look like this:

=VLOOKUP("Apples", A1:B5, 2, FALSE)

Let’s dissect this formula a bit:

  • VLOOKUP(“Apples”, A1:B5, 2, FALSE): This tells Google Sheets to search for “Apples” in column A.
  • The “2” tells the VLOOKUP to return the corresponding value from the second column (in this case, the price).
  • The “FALSE” tells Google Sheets that the data is not sorted. If you know the data is sorted, you can use “TRUE” to potentially speed up the search.

Conclusion

Mastering the VLOOKUP function can save you a lot of time when managing large sets of data in Google Sheets. It may seem complicated at first, but with practice, you will find it becomes a natural part of your data management toolbox.

Remember, the key to a successful VLOOKUP is understanding its four parameters: your search key, the range to search within, the column index from which to return values, and whether your data is sorted. Happy data hunting!