Google Sheet Vlookup

Introduction

Vlookup is a commonly used function in Google Sheets that allows you to search for a specific value in a column and retrieve the corresponding value from another column in the same row. It is a powerful tool for searching and analyzing data in a spreadsheet.

This guide will provide an overview of the Vlookup function, explain its syntax, and provide examples of how to use it in Google Sheets.

Syntax

The syntax of the Vlookup function is as follows:

=VLOOKUP(search_key, range, index, [is_sorted])

Let's break down the parameters:

• search_key (required): The value you want to search for in the first column of the range.
• range (required): The range of cells that contains the data you want to search in. The first column of this range will be used for the search.
• index (required): The column number (starting from 1) of the value you want to retrieve from the range.
• is_sorted (optional): A boolean value that indicates whether the range is sorted in ascending order. The default value is TRUE (sorted in ascending order). If set to FALSE, an exact match is required.

Examples

Let's go through some examples to understand how to use Vlookup in Google Sheets.

Example 1: Basic Usage

Suppose we have the following data in columns A and B:

| A | B | |--------|-----| | Apple | 10 | | Orange | 25 | | Banana | 15 | | Grapes | 50 |

We want to search for the value "Banana" in column A, and retrieve the corresponding value from column B. Here's the formula to accomplish that:

=VLOOKUP("Banana", A1:B4, 2, FALSE)

The result will be 15, which is the corresponding value in column B.

Example 2: Approximate Match

In this example, let's assume we have the same data as before, but the range is sorted in ascending order based on column A.

If we want to search for the value "Cherry" in column A, and retrieve the corresponding value from column B, we can use the following formula:

=VLOOKUP("Cherry", A1:B4, 2, TRUE)

Since the range is sorted, Vlookup will return the value 10 (the closest value that is less than or equal to the search key). In this case, the closest value is "Apple" with a corresponding value of 10.

Conclusion

Vlookup is a powerful function in Google Sheets that allows you to search for a value in a column and retrieve information from another column. It is useful for tasks such as data analysis, lookup tables, and merging datasets. Understanding how to use Vlookup can greatly improve your ability to work with data in Google Sheets.