Searching Functions

Learning Objectives:

Understanding the VLOOKUP Function.
Understanding the LEFT and RIGHT Functions in Excel.

VLOOKUP

This function allows searches across columns.

It is typed =VLOOKUP

=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

Lookup_value: Select the cell where search values will be entered.
Table_array: The table range, including all cells in the table.
Col_index_num: The data that is being looked up. The input is the number of the column, counted from the left:

Excel VLOOKUP example

LEFT Function

This function is used to retrieve a specified number of characters (ex. letters, numbers, etc.), counting from the left side of an Excel cell. The chosen number has to be greater than 0 and is set to 1 by default.

It is typed =LEFT

Excel =LEFT example

In this example, the output would be "numb" since these are the first 4 characters from the left side of the cell.

RIGHT Function

This function is used to retrieve a specified number of characters, counting from the right side of an Excel cell. The chosen number has to be greater than 0 and is set to 1 by default.

It is typed =RIGHT

Excel =RIGHT example

In this example, the output would be "nges" since these are the first 4 characters from the right side of the cell.