vlookups in Excel 2003

[Richard Champlin]

I am trying to copy a vLookup that I created in one spreadsheet into another
so that I can simply tailor it to the new spreadsheet. No matter what I try,
it does not return anything other than "#VALUE!" I think I am unclear as to
the parameters.

 

[Mike H]

Maybe we could see this formula

 

[Richard Champlin]

=VLOOKUP(G2,$A$1:$E$2045,4,$B$1:$B$2045)
I am trying to find a reference number in the 4th column (D) for an item
number which is in the 2nd column. I've entered the number into the G2
location, and I know the number is in the 2nd column....but it is not
working. There are values listed up to row 2045.

 

[Richard Champlin]

=VLOOKUP(G2,$A$1:$E$2045,4,$B$1:$B$2045)
I am trying to find a reference number in the 4th column (D) that belongs to
an item number that I am entering into the lookup cell (G2)...I know the item
number is in the column that contains all the item numbers. There are
entries up to row 2045, and there are 4 columns.

Richard Champlin
Administrative Program Assistant II
Children''''''''s Hospital & Regional Medical Center, Seattle

 

[John C]

=VLOOKUP(value,table,column,FALSE/TRUE)
value is the value you are looking up, G2
Table is the data table you are looking at, of which the first column MUST
be where your value(s) will be.
column is the column number as determined by your table, that you need
FALSE=exact match and TRUE= near match(and table must be sorted).
so
=VLOOKUP(G2,$B$1:$E$2045,3,FALSE)

HTH.

 

[Richard Champlin]

I have tried that, and still am not getting a value returned. The value
being looked up is in the 1st column. I can't for the life of me figure out
what is wrong...and it's probably very simple and right in front of me.

What if I e-mail a file?

 

[Dave Peterson]

My bet is that there is a difference between the value that you're looking up
and the value that looks like a match in the first column of the lookup range.

It could be an extra space (leading/trailing/embedded???)

Or (my bet!) that one value is a value that looks like a number, but is really
text--and the other value is really a number.

Debra Dalgleish has lots of notes here:
http://www.contextures.com/xlFunctions02.html (for =vlookup())
and
http://contextures.com/xlFunctions02.html#Trouble

 

[Richard Champlin]

Thanks Dave,

The info from Debra Dalgleish was the trick...I was in the ballpark, but had
neglected to check if the reference column in which I was searching for
numbers was text vs. number.