Comments on: Advanced VLOOKUP in Excel: multiple, double, nested

In this VLOOKUP tutorial, you will find a number of advanced formula examples that demonstrate how to look up with multiple criteria, use two VLOOKUP functions in one formula, dynamically pull data from different sheets, and more. Continue reading →

Comments page 16. Total comments: 540

  1. i want to compare two spredsheet with name and amount in one sheet is contain in another sheet in same combination . wich formula i use

  2. i want sheet to sheet multiply total formula .. excell sheet

    1. Hi Prem,

      It is difficult to recommend anything based on such generic description. Most likely you need to use the SUMPRODUCT function.

  3. This is great! Thank you

  4. CAN WE GET MORE THAN ONE COLOUMN OF DATA SIMULTANEOUSLY BY VLOOKUP...???

  5. Hi, I have a workbook with multiple tabs. In my master sheet I have values in column A (AA, BB, CC, DD, EE....for example). Then I have tabs labeled AA, BB, CC, DD, EE. I'm trying to do the same vlookup but on different tabs depending on what my master sheet column A value has...

    So if Column A is BB I want the vlookup to look at sheet BB. Here is the manual way of doing it:

    =VLOOKUP(B1,BB!A:B,2,FALSE)

    Here is what i want the formula mimic so it works in a similar fashion:

    =VLOOKUP(B2,A2&"!A:B",2,FALSE)

    I also tried giving A:B on sheet BB a reference of 'BB' in hopes this would work:

    =VLOOKUP(B2,A2,2,FALSE)

    Any help is appreciated!!!

    1. I need to do the same sort of thing as Luke.

      I Have a cell lets say its A1 that specifies from a drop-down list a Sheet Name (AA BB CC DD etc)
      I want to pass that reference to a VLOOKUP Formula which would be SOMETHING LIKE =VLOOKUP(B5,A1&!D1:E22,2,False)
      Where B5 is the cell containing theLookup_value, A1 is the cell containg the sheet name, and D1:E22 is the Table array.

      I have been told the INDIRECT formula should work but I am jet to find a way to get a successful result.

      Anyone Know?

  6. I have the following
    A 2
    B 5
    C 3

    I want it to
    A
    A
    B
    B
    B
    B
    B
    C
    C
    C

    Can you help me with excel formula

    1. Hello Daro,

      A special VBA script will be the best solution to your task. Sorry, I cannot help with this.

  7. I need a formula were in can get what ever the data i feed in from sheet 1 to sheet 2 in the same workbook ?

    1. Hello Samantha,

      If you need to simply have the data copied from sheet1 to sheet2 as you enter it, you can put this formula in cell A1 on sheet2 and then copy it to all other cells:
      =Sheet1!A1

  8. Dear Sir,

    Iam trying to do lookup with multiple cateria like

    I have one sheet with account number,name & business

    as well I have one sheet, when I will mentioned account number in sheet one formula will check aacount number & name then business will come

    1. Hello Sandeep,

      A similar example is described in How to do a vlookup with multiple criteria. This example explains how to look up with 2 criteria "Customer Name" and "Product". Your can download the example in the end of that section and adjust the cell references in the formulas.

  9. Dear Svetlana,

    I am very much impressed by the guidelines you are providing for the problems faced by the Excel users. Really it is a quite best Website for having expert advice for advanced Excel users.

    Thanks for your sharing.

    With regards.

    CMA Anand

    1. Thank you very much for your kind words, Anand! I'm pleased to know you've found the tutorial helpful.

  10. Dear Svetlana,

    thank you for such a great site. I'm actually learning to use excel as more than just a list keeper. As I was using your formula for duplicate values in a look up range, I ran into a few problems. The information was only being picked up in one cell (I'm searching for dates). After I set the dates in the original column and the lookup column to the exact format, all of the dates show except for the first dates on the original list. I'm sure it's a small tweaky thing but I've been at it for 3 hours with no success. Do you have any suggestions on what I should look for as I'm troubleshooting? Thank you.

  11. Hi Svetlana,
    Thanks for the suggestions - there are some very good ones in here. I am familiar with the VLOOKUP formula, but have often wondered if there is a way to look through several worksheets. I have a roster template I use and I create a new worksheet for each roster. I would like a worksheet at the frontthat acts like a summary table, where the first column contains a code, which matches the name of the relevant roster worksheet. The rest of the columns in the table will find the appropriate worksheet (based on what is in the first column) and return the data from each field in my roster template.
    Any tricks you could suggest would be appreciated.
    Thanks.

  12. I need help with a formula. Can someone assist?

  13. I believe this is the info i've been looking for to put together this project that i've been trying to wrap my head around
    What i would like to do is Input a "part#" using VLOOKUP to list all of the tools I need to make said part (i've accomplished this much) at the same time have it kick back a number that refers to current inventory for said tools (this number can change at any moment). So i know i'm going to need more than 1 spreadsheet to complete this task. I can run an inventory report anytime and export it to excel so my question is, can i build a template that i can drop my current inventory list in to that already has the formulas written out? What are the formulas i need to use to tie the 2 spreadsheets together? We have hundreds of different part numbers and thousands of tools and not having a system in place has bogged us down. End goal is to avoid "spot buying" and get ahead of the curve and forecast my tool ordering before the job hits the floor. Tool list's with the part #'s are already populated awaiting my completion of this task
    Thank you much and i hope theres no confusion here.

    1. Hello Russ,

      I am sorry, it is difficult to recommend anything without seeing your data. If you can send a sample workbook to support@ablebits.com and include the result you want to get, our support team will try to help.

    2. EXAMPLE
      Input:866637
      Return: 1/4 drill 4pcs
      .3438 drill 2pcs
      3/4 end mill 1pc
      1/2-14 npsf 5pcs

      i figured one workbook would be my part numbers with tools listed and the 2nd being my current inventory.

  14. DATE CODE SUBJECT NAME TIME
    10-Nov-14 EC-601 English - IV FN
    10-Nov-14 M-601 English –IV FN
    10-Nov-14 EC-304 Communication AN
    10-Nov-14 M-307 Machine Drawing AN
    11-Nov-14 EC-404 Microprocessors FN
    11-Nov-14 M-401 English-III FN
    11-Nov-14 EC-104 Engineering AN
    11-Nov-14 M-107 Engineering Drawing AN
    I want only one item in Code column to be displayed one by one at different locations based DATE and TIME columns

    1. Hello Aravind,

      I am sorry, I cannot follow you. If you can send a sample workbook with your data to support@ablebits.com including the expected result, our support team will try to help.

  15. Hi,
    I need to get the PR number in Sheet: PO Short Table from Sheet : Pivot Table, based on Drawing ID and Material. Basically lookup & match 2 cells(A3,B3) and get the value from C3.
    Which formula to use? Pls help.

    Sheet : Pivot Table
    Sum of PR Qty.
    Drawing ID Material PR No. Total
    LMV-41105060 SDSU16404121 3000053435 13

    Sheet: PO Short Table
    DWG ID System Matl No Matl Description PO Qty PR No
    LMV-41105060 AFS SDSU16404121 STUD PAD 0

  16. I am creating a new sales analysis file to track sales over several years. My file has multiple worksheets. The first sheet, Sheet1, has raw data downloaded from our order entry system. Column D in Sheet1 holds the invoice date.

    Because we run on a Fiscal year cycle, not a calendar year cycle, I now want to automatically calculate the correct fiscal year for the invoice date into Sheet1, Column F.

    I have created a table on Sheet2 which holds date ranges that corresponds to fiscal years, ie:
    Sheet2, Column A, Rows 1 thru' 10 = StartDate
    Sheet2, Column B, Rows 1 thru' 10 = End Date
    Sheet2, Column C, Rows 1 thru' 10 = Fiscal Year

    I have been struggling to find a formula that will automatically calculate this information for me on Sheet1 in Column F. I have tried index-match, vlookup, lookup, LessThan, etc and cannot get this figured out.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

    1. Hello Pam,

      On Sheet 2, sort the dates by column A in ascending order, and then you can apply MATCH with the "less than" match_type parameter (1 or ommitted):
      =INDEX(Sheet2!$B$1:$B$10,MATCH(D2, Sheet2!$A$1:$A$5,1))

      1. Svetlana - Thank you for the reply. I will definitely give that a try today! Your help is greatly appreciated. (Sorry for my slow reply back - I have been out of the office this past week with the 'flu and just came back today).

  17. I have one issue with my formula to find the value from another table on the same sheet that you can see their example as below.

    Table A Table B
    A U V
    1 TC10001 RQ12345 TC10003,TC10002
    2 TC10002 RQ12346 TC10003
    3 TC10003 RQ12347 TC10002,TC10001
    . . . .
    . . . .
    . . . .
    100 TC10100 RQ12445 TC10050,TC10003,TC10001

    My formula is "=VLOOKUP("*"&MID($A1,3,5)&"*",U:V,1,FALSE)". Can you please help me to correct my formula? My expected result is formula should return at least only one value of column V.

    Thanks a lot in advance for any help
    Beer :)

  18. Thanks for this helpful article; I use vlookup with match formula that has solved my problem.

    Thanks again Deen.

  19. {=IFERROR(INDEX($B$2:$B$22,SMALL(IF($A$24=A2:A22,ROW(B2:B22)-1,""),ROW()-3)),"")}

    This formula isn't working for me, after i press Shft+cntrl+enter nothing comes up.

  20. Thanks, You're really very helpful
    For Sure, I added your website to my favorite list and share to facebook

  21. Hello,

    I have two sheets with data.In third sheet, I would like to display the value of one cell by checking it in two sheets simultaneously. Can we do this with vlook up.

    Ex: Name Sales Name Sales Name Sales
    A 2 D 5 B ?
    B 6 E 10 E ?
    C 8 F 4 D ?

    As you can see there are two different tables with different values. There is third table with same names. Now I want to show there sales by looking into both the tables.

    What is the formula that I should be looking.

    Thanks,
    Avinash B

  22. I would like to copy this formula down multiple rows on a spreadsheet:
    =IF(ISERROR(INDEX($A$1:$B$8, SMALL(IF($A$1:$A$8=$E1, ROW($A$1:$A$8)), ROW(1:1)),2)),"", INDEX($A$1:$B$8, SMALL(IF($A$1:$A$8=$E1, ROW($A$1:$A$8)), ROW(1:1)),2))

    But my index and therefore row # needs to change according to when the index number changes. Let's say I have 8 skus in my assortment. I know the first 5 will be new skus, so I would have my item number (1234, 455, etc.) filled in, but the sku column is blank. The last three are skus I'm carrying over and I don't need to worry about them. When I use the formula above, it works for the first three items because it refers back to cell A1 which is the first 1234. But when I get to 455, it leaves a blank cell because it's looking for the 4th row of A1. Is there anyway to have it move to the new number of 455 without having to retype in the new row number each time?

    1234 this is new sku
    1234 so is this
    1234 and this
    455 new sku1
    455 new sku2
    819 old sku1 - no formula
    819 old sku2 - no formula
    222 filled in - no formula

  23. i have partial number like 456 out of full value 123456789(under id heading)
    here table contains id,product,customer,q1,q2,a3

    so how can i retrieve the full value(123456789) with the help of 456

    please share your answers

  24. Hello Svetlana,

    Thanks for this tutorial. Your handling of Excel functions is too good.

  25. I have a data of around 40000 rows of inter unit transfer entries and i have to get prices or data from other sales near to that date or before that date maximum 30 to 40 days.with the help of concatenate formula i made a key to get the data with the help of vlookup but the issue faced by me the vlookup function pick the value which it found first in the data but i have to get data near by to that date or of the the same date.I'm not understanding which formula we can use to extract data from the normal sales.Because the data is to huge it is very difficult to do this manually.IF it is possible please tell me the solution.

  26. I am looking for a formula of vlookup in which we can use concatenate key of various columns and that is used on the basis of other date function like i have to select only that data that is nearby to that or below that date and the concatenated key may contain various similar entries but on different date.Have you any idea how can i do this.i want to this for transfer prices because it contains a huge data.

  27. I am looking to do a lookup on based on two criteria, where one of the criteria would be based on a range rather than an exact match. Do you know how I can do that?

    Here are the 2 criteria:
    Lumen
    Output Code
    2170 32.F
    4970 32.F
    4971 42.CF
    1185 15.CF
    1407 32.F
    1185 32.F
    1086 32.F

    The codes are an exact match, but the lumen output would fall between the following ranges, so for example, I'd want 2170 to return 18. I used the following formula to find a match based on the 2 criteria but it only works if it's exact: =LOOKUP(2,1/(B3:B13=C16)/(D3:D13=C18),(C3:C13))

    Lumen
    Output Wattage
    1350 9
    1800 12
    1800 12
    2100 14
    2700 18
    3300 22
    3300 22
    4970 28
    5400 36
    6600 44

    Thank you in advance,
    Andrea

    1. Hello Andrea,

      For Lumens, you can use the Match function with of "greater than" match_type (the 3rd argument is -1). So, first off sort your table from largest to smallest, and then use this formula:
      =INDEX(B2:B11,MATCH(2170,A2:A11,-1))

      Where A2:B11 is the table with your data.

      You can find more information about the Index/Match functions in this article:
      https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/excel-index-match-function-vlookup/

      If you are looking for something different, you can send us your workbook at suport@ablebits.com and include the result you are looking for.

      1. Thank you so much. And I can use this formula to match multiple criteria:

        {=INDEX(C3:C13,MATCH(1,(B3:B13=C16)*(D3:D13=C18)*(E3:E13=C18),0))}

  28. Hi,
    I am really struggling on a work data base that I am trying to set up…
    We start of with the Master Orders Workbook which consists of a summery sheet and store order sheets. We have to copy and past the order that come in onto this workbook.
    I have then set up a Master POD’s workbook which pulls through all of the information put on to the Master Orders….but as this goes to our courier company they only need to see certain columns. This is all ok and working.
    I am now stuck, as when the original orders come through there are 2 different warehouses on it that we pick from. WH1 in Singapore and WH2 in the UK my issue is that at the moment we have to manually go through all of the orders and split them into WH1 and WH2.
    Is there a way of setting up a Master WH1 workbook were it will only pull this information through, even though the info I need it to look at is in column J and once it has found this I also need it to pull through the corresponding rows. I can’t provide the sum with an exact table as the size as the orders change for each order placed.
    I am hoping that once I have sorted this out I will be able to do the same for WH2 and also cut my work load down by a lot!!
    If you have any ideas it would be much appreciated.
    Many thank, Fran

    1. Hello Fran,

      I am sorry, it is difficult to suggest anything without seeing your data. If you can send a sample workbook and the detailed description of workflow to support@ablebits.com, we'll try to help you.

  29. Hi!
    I'm trying to use your formula which I have put together as follow:
    =IFERROR(INDEX(RFVDTL!$F$2:$F$1757, SMALL(IF($D$2=RFVDTL!A2:A1757,ROW(RFVDTL!F2:F1757)-1,""), ROW()-3)),"")

    However, when I press Ctrl + Shift + Enter, I get an error s which is "Array Formulas are not valid in merged cell" can you help please?

    1. Hi!

      The point is that you are trying to apply an array formula to merged cells, which is not possible.

      You can either unmerge the cells or enter an array formula into any other non-merged cell. If you choose the latter, then type =X20 in your merged cell, where X20 is the cell that contains an array formula.

  30. I am trying to get all duplicate values in the lookup range, but I need help because some of the names on the left only contain part of the name. For example, I want to find all the part numbers for any "gold" material. So the names on the left could be:

    Gold rock 123
    Solid gold chair 234
    Silver and gold frame 567

    So could I put in "gold", and have it produce all three of those part numbers? instead of an exact match? I hope this makes sense.

    Thanks

    1. Hello Kat,

      You need to add a helper column to your source table and enter the following formula there:
      =IF(ISERR(SEARCH("gold",A2))=FALSE,"OK","")

      Where A is the column with the original text.

      Then in the master table, search for all "OK" instances in your helper column using formulas and pull out the corresponding Part numbers.

  31. With this formula in F4 -- {=IFERROR(INDEX($C$2:$C$16,SMALL(IF($F$2=B2:B16,ROW(C2:C16)-1,""),ROW()-3)),"")}
    I get "Apples".

    How do I get the information on the remaining rows to show up in F5 etc..

    Thanks in advance for any help.

    1. Hello Ann,

      Simply copy the below formula down to a few more cells, e.g. F4:F8, as in the described example. The number of cells where you copy the formula should be equal to or larger than the maximum number of entries the formula may return.

  32. can you help me work out this formula

    I need to search number that can be more than 1 = SHEET 2
    then if it is more that 1 word, I need to add them

    have the number in SHEET 1 = need the output "apple / orange / grapes" for 293
    search the number and fruits in SHEET 2

    example
    293 apple
    293 orange
    293 grapes
    294 mango
    294 avocado

    need output "apple / orange / grapes" for 293
    need output "mango / avocado" for 293

  33. Hi,

    Thanks for the helpful information.

    I'm hoping you can point me in the right direction for a project I'm working on.

    I have a table or list of values which I need to search for in an excel worksheet. So for example, the list would be hammer, nails, screws, bricks, etc. And the text would be...in cell A1 "You should have 25 bricks, 10 penny nails and a rubber hammer to complete the project." In cell A2, "Begin by laying out the bricks"...So what I need to do is to write a macro to go through the list, item by item and COUNTIF I get a hit within a range of text, A1:D45. In this case bricks are mentioned 2x, nails 1x and hammer 1x. Also, the length of both the incoming list and the text I'm looking through will be variable. Does that make sense?

    Many thanks,

    1. Hi Bonnie,

      In theory, you can fulfill this task using formulas, but a more flexible and quick way would be to use a VBA macro. You can search for it in special VBA sections on these forums: excelforum and mrexcel.com.

      1. I am having a sheet with names in one column, and in another sheet with names and numbers. i have used vlookup to get the number from sheet 2 to appropriate value in sheet 1. The difficulty i am facing is in sheet 2 same names are there for different numbers, so vlookup is giving the first match value and leaving the rest. Help me to solve this issue.
        like for the name glass there may be 100 101 102 456..numbers, if i am comparing glass from sheet 1 to sheet 2 it is just picking 100 for all the rest of the names (having glass in sheet 1).

  34. Hi Svetlana, I am facing issue in V lookup, as I want the 2nd 3rd or 4th lookup value in a different tab but also I dont want to add a helper column. Can you please suggest how could I do that? Your help is appreciated.

    1. Hi Roshan,

      For the 2nd lookup you can use the following formula (described in the article):
      =IFERROR(VLOOKUP($F$2,INDIRECT("$B$"&(MATCH($F$2,Table4[Customer Name],0)+2)&":$C16"),2,FALSE),"")

      You can modify it for the 3rd and 4th lookups, but these will be very long, complicated and slow formulas. That's why I'd rather go with a helper column and then hide it.

  35. Hi Svetlana,

    This is the first time, i have visited your articles. And i am feeling that why did not i come across this quite earlier...!! Awesome ideas..!!

    Thanks

  36. Thank you for your articles...thanks...

  37. Thank you Svetlana for this article. A lot of good ideas there.
    :)

  38. Hi

    I have a roster spreadsheet i need to use the vlookup function to calculate the hours delivered to each client i tried to follow your formula didn't work for me can you help ?

    Thanks

    1. Hi Daniel,

      I need to know more details about your data to be able to suggest a proper formula. If you can send me your sample workbook at support@ablebits.com along with the result you want to achieve, I will try to help.

  39. Please fix the section title:

    Use VLOOKUP and INDERECT to dynamically pull data from different sheets

    It should be INDIRECT

    I respect your site very much. It's just that spelling errors are a pet peeve of mine.

    1. Hi Rick,

      Thank you very much for spotting this error, fixed! My spell checker ignores capitalized words, and here it is : (

      1. Very useful site, was looking over a formula from past 2 - 3 days, finally got it here with possible result which i was expecting for. Will surely mail you if any help required in future

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