Question
What does this mean on excel
VLOOKUP(D8,D3:E6,2)
VLOOKUP(D8,D3:E6,2)
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The formula `VLOOKUP(D8, D3:E6, 2)` in Excel is used for looking up a value in a specific range of data. Here's a breakdown of the components of the formula:
1. **VLOOKUP**: This stands for "Vertical Lookup." It's a function that searches for a value in the first column of a specified range and returns a value in the same row from a specified column number.
2. **D8**: This is the value you want to look up. Excel will search for the value in cell D8 within the first column of the specified range.
3. **D3:E6**: This represents the range of cells where the lookup will occur. The first column (D3:D6) is where Excel will search for the value from D8, while the second column (E3:E6) is where Excel will retrieve the corresponding value once it finds a match.
4. **2**: This is the column index number. It tells Excel to return the value from the second column of the specified range (in this case, column E).
### How It Works:
- Excel will look for the value in cell D8 in the first column of the range D3:E6 (i.e., in D3, D4, D5, and D6).
- If it finds a match, it will return the corresponding value from the second column of the range (i.e., values from E3, E4, E5, or E6).
- If it doesn't find a match, the function will return an error (`#N/A`).
### Example:
- If `D8` contains the value “Apple” and in the range `D3:D6`, "Apple" is found in `D4`, then the function will return the value from `E4`.
### Note:
- Ensure that the first column of the lookup range (D3:D6) is sorted in ascending order if you are using the approximate match option (not specifically indicated here, but worth noting for VLOOKUP).
- If you want an exact match, you should add a fourth argument (for range lookup), typically set to `FALSE`. The formula would look like this: `VLOOKUP(D8, D3:E6, 2, FALSE)`.
1. **VLOOKUP**: This stands for "Vertical Lookup." It's a function that searches for a value in the first column of a specified range and returns a value in the same row from a specified column number.
2. **D8**: This is the value you want to look up. Excel will search for the value in cell D8 within the first column of the specified range.
3. **D3:E6**: This represents the range of cells where the lookup will occur. The first column (D3:D6) is where Excel will search for the value from D8, while the second column (E3:E6) is where Excel will retrieve the corresponding value once it finds a match.
4. **2**: This is the column index number. It tells Excel to return the value from the second column of the specified range (in this case, column E).
### How It Works:
- Excel will look for the value in cell D8 in the first column of the range D3:E6 (i.e., in D3, D4, D5, and D6).
- If it finds a match, it will return the corresponding value from the second column of the range (i.e., values from E3, E4, E5, or E6).
- If it doesn't find a match, the function will return an error (`#N/A`).
### Example:
- If `D8` contains the value “Apple” and in the range `D3:D6`, "Apple" is found in `D4`, then the function will return the value from `E4`.
### Note:
- Ensure that the first column of the lookup range (D3:D6) is sorted in ascending order if you are using the approximate match option (not specifically indicated here, but worth noting for VLOOKUP).
- If you want an exact match, you should add a fourth argument (for range lookup), typically set to `FALSE`. The formula would look like this: `VLOOKUP(D8, D3:E6, 2, FALSE)`.