How to Search Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet efficiently?

[tarekma7]

Most of the time, searching a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet is pretty easy. If you can’t just scan through the rows and columns for it, you can use Ctrl + F to search for it. If you’re working with a really big spreadsheet, it can save a lot of time to use one of these four lookup functions.

1. The VLOOKUP Function

This function allows you to specify a column and a value, and will return a value from the corresponding row of a different column (if that doesn’t make sense, it’ll become clear in a moment). Two examples where you might do this are looking up an employee’s last name by their employee number or finding a phone number by specifying a last name.



2. The HLOOKUP Function

Where VLOOKUP finds corresponding values in another column, HLOOKUP finds corresponding values in a different row. Because it’s usually easiest to scan through column headings until you find the right one and use a filter to find what you’re looking for, HLOOKUP is best used when you have really big spreadsheets or you’re working with values that are organized by time.

3-4. The INDEX and MATCH Functions

INDEX and MATCH are two different functions, but when they’re used together they can make searching a large spreadsheet a lot faster. Both functions have drawbacks, but by combining them we’ll build on the strengths of both.

Read Full article HERE