XLOOKUP is a powerful Excel function that allows you to find values in a table or range and return corresponding values from the same or another table or range. It is a versatile and dynamic tool that can handle a wide range of lookup scenarios, including exact and approximate matches, multiple criteria, and array formulas.
In this tutorial, we’ll focus on using XLOOKUP with tables in Excel. Tables are a structured way to organize and analyze data in Excel. They have a number of benefits over regular ranges, including automatic formatting, filtering, sorting, and calculated columns. XLOOKUP can take advantage of these features to simplify and streamline your lookup tasks.
Here are the steps to use XLOOKUP with tables in Excel:
Step 1: Set up your tables
Before you can use XLOOKUP, you need to create or identify the tables that you want to use for your lookup. Tables should be structured with column headers that describe the data in each column. Ideally, tables should have unique column headers that are easy to understand and remember. If you have multiple tables, make sure they have at least one column in common that you can use as a lookup key.
Step 2: Define your lookup range
To use XLOOKUP, you need to define the range where you want to search for your lookup value. This range can be a single column, multiple columns, or an entire table. You can use the table headers as column references in your XLOOKUP formula to make it easier to read and understand.
For example, if you have a table called “Sales” with columns “Product”, “Date”, and “Revenue”, and you want to find the revenue for a specific product and date, you could define your lookup range as follows:
=Sales[Revenue]
Step 3: Define your lookup value
Next, you need to define the value that you want to look up in your lookup range. This value can be a specific value, a cell reference, or a formula. XLOOKUP can handle a wide range of lookup values, including text, numbers, dates, and logical values.
For example, if you want to find the revenue for the product “Widget” on the date “1/1/2023”, you could define your lookup value as follows:
=”Widget”&”1/1/2023″
Note that we’re combining the product and date values using the “&” operator to create a single lookup value.
Step 4: Define your return range
Now you need to define the range where you want to return your result. This range can be a single cell, multiple cells, or an entire table. Again, you can use the table headers as column references in your XLOOKUP formula to make it easier to read and understand.
For example, if you want to return the revenue for the product “Widget” on the date “1/1/2023” in cell A1, you could define your return range as follows:
=A1
Step 5: Enter your XLOOKUP formula
Finally, you can enter your XLOOKUP formula to perform the lookup. The basic syntax of XLOOKUP is as follows:
=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_range, return_range, [match_mode], [search_mode])
The first three arguments are required:
- lookup_value: The value you want to look up
- lookup_range: The range where you want to search for the lookup value
- return_range: The range where you want to return the result
The last two arguments are optional and control the matching and searching behavior of XLOOKUP:
- match_mode: Controls the type of match to perform. The default is 0 (exact match), but you can also use 1 (exact or next smallest match) or -1 (Exact or next largest match).
- search_mode: Controls the direction of the search. The default is 1 (search from top to bottom), but you can also use -1 (search from bottom to top).
For our example, the XLOOKUP formula would be as follows:
=XLOOKUP(“Widget”&”1/1/2023”, Sales[Product]&Sales[Date], Sales[Revenue])
This formula looks up the value “Widget1/1/2023” in the combined range of the “Product” and “Date” columns in the “Sales” table, and returns the corresponding value from the “Revenue” column.
Note that we’re using the “&” operator again to combine the product and date values into a single lookup value. We’re also using the table headers as column references in the XLOOKUP formula, which makes it easier to read and understand.
Step 6: Test and refine your XLOOKUP formula
Once you’ve entered your XLOOKUP formula, you should test it with different lookup values and scenarios to make sure it returns the correct results. You can also refine your formula by adding additional arguments, such as match_mode and search_mode, to handle more complex lookup scenarios.
For example, if you want to allow for approximate matches in your XLOOKUP formula, you can add the match_mode argument and set it to 1 or -1. This will allow XLOOKUP to return the next smallest or largest match if an exact match is not found.
=XLOOKUP(“Widget1/1/2023”, Sales[Product]&Sales[Date], Sales[Revenue], 1)
In this formula, the match_mode argument is set to 1, which means XLOOKUP will return the next smallest match if an exact match is not found.
You can also use array formulas with XLOOKUP to perform more complex lookup operations. For example, you could use XLOOKUP in combination with other Excel functions, such as FILTER and SORT, to perform a dynamic lookup that returns multiple results based on multiple criteria.
Overall, XLOOKUP is a powerful and versatile tool that can help you streamline your lookup tasks and analyze your data more effectively in Excel. By using XLOOKUP with tables, you can take advantage of Excel’s built-in data structures and simplify your formulas, making it easier to work with and maintain your data.