Database Theory

How to Use Power Query for Pivot Table Data Analysis

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The following is a guest post from Rishabh Bhandari, co-founder of Yoda Learning, a site that helps working professionals become faster and better in Microsoft office suite using high-quality video tutorials.  Before founding Yoda Learning, Rishabh worked with an Education-focused Private Equity fund in Mumbai, India.   Continue Reading >>

VLOOKUP Quick Reference Guide From Microsoft

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If you're brand new to VLOOKUP or haven't used the formula in a while, the following quick reference guide is a great resource to have handy.  It's created by the folks at Microsoft, so you know it's legitimate. Reference Guide Summary The quick reference guide is in PDF format and is three pages long.  It goes into ... Continue Reading >>

How to Use VLOOKUP’s Range Lookup Feature

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The vast majority of Excel users have never used VLOOKUP's range lookup feature.  Most Excel users familiar with the VLOOKUP formula are just conditioned to know that, when they get to the range lookup option portion of the VLOOKUP syntax, they should just put in the word "FALSE" because they want an exact match.  This ... Continue Reading >>

How to Use the MATCH Formula in Excel: Three Practical Examples

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Excel's MATCH formula is an extremely useful yet underutilized function within Excel's toolkit of formulas.  The reason people underestimate its value is because the MATCH formula's primary objective is fuzzy and ambiguous.  Without the proper context, its usefulness and potential applications are not obvious. The MATCH Continue Reading >>

The Ultimate Guide to VLOOKUP

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Learning the VLOOKUP formula is, for most people, the first step taken towards becoming an advanced Excel user.  For me, this milestone actually occurred in 2004 during an internship at Microsoft in the company's Commercial Operations Division.  One of the senior analysts showed me the ropes by teaching me the formula.  While Continue Reading >>

How to Use OFFSET MATCH MATCH

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OFFSET MATCH MATCH is the final lookup combination I'll cover among the lookup formula options you have available to you in Excel.  Of all the different lookup options you have to do a two-way lookup, INDEX MATCH MATCH is still probably your best bet and the approach I would generally recommend.  However, OFFSET MATCH MATCH ... Continue Reading >>

How to Use the VLOOKUP HLOOKUP Combination Formula

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VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP are two of the most popular formulas in Excel and using them together is one of the first formula combinations that people learn.  While using INDEX MATCH for vertical lookups and INDEX MATCH MATCH for matrix style lookups are superior approaches, it's still a good idea to learn this formula combination and ... Continue Reading >>

Top Mistakes Made When Using INDEX MATCH

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INDEX MATCH Not Working?  The following article provides the most likely causes of your problems with using INDEX MATCH. If you're an advanced user of Excel, you've likely already made the switch from VLOOKUP to INDEX MATCH because of the several advantages that INDEX MATCH provides.  Within Excel, INDEX MATCH is one of the most Continue Reading >>

How to Use INDEX MATCH MATCH

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If you're using Excel and you’ve already learned how to use INDEX MATCH, you’re well on your way to becoming proficient with Excel lookups.  What INDEX MATCH MATCH offers you is a more powerful version of the formula.  Instead of just a vertical lookup, INDEX MATCH MATCH allows you to perform a matrix lookup, which ... Continue Reading >>