[Help] Stuck with VLOOKUP

[littly_kitty]

I am setting up an Excel invoice where:
1) The user inputs a name into the D9 cells
2) Excel automatically fills in the Title, Surname, Company, Address,
Town, County and Post code in the C9, E9, C10, C11, C12 and C13 cells
respectively.

I am using a VLOOK UP formula to achieve this, using the tutorial on
this site as a guide:
http://www.contextures.com/xlFunctions02.html

When I recreate the tutorial examples, the formula works perfectly.
However, when I try to apply the formula to my own invoice, it
doesn't work!

I have tried everything, but I cannot get it to work.

Could some one take a look at my spreadsheet? It can be found here:
http://www.filefactory.com/file/d996e1/

 

[Debra Dalgleish]

If you're using a vlookup, the value that you're looking up tries to
find a match in the first column of the lookup table. If it can't find a
match, your formula may return an error, or the wrong data.

Could that be the problem?

 

[Guest]

Hi Littly Kitty:

As Debra said you need to have the name in the first column of your database
and then it will work and it will work.

There are real problems with using first names for lookups as it is not
uncommon to have two names the same.

I would recommend using the comapny name or a code number.

Also you could use data validation from the data menu to select the name of
the company.

Check out Debra's site for an example, but you need to define the range for
data vadidation as the data is on another worksheet.

 

[littly_kitty]

Thanks for your replies Debra and Martin.

I tried what you suggested and nothing worked.

However, I then used the same spreadsheet on another computer and it
worked perfectly.

I transferred the spreadsheet back to the original computer and it now
works too (although, odly enough the original copy on the original
computer doesn't).

I'm so happy that I now how to use VLOOKUP.

Thanks again for your replies,

Littly Kitty.