VLOOKUP exact match

Read this VLOOKUP exact match example

Start with the business need: Add product prices to an order list. Read each argument, reference, field, or control in the example before copying it into a larger model.

=VLOOKUP(A2,Prices!A:D,4,FALSE)

VLOOKUP exact match: what Excel is actually doing

VLOOKUP searches the first column of a table and returns a value from a numbered column to its right. Use FALSE for exact matching in codes, IDs, and master-data joins.

Your desk challenge for lesson 31

Look up a known code and a missing code, and decide how each result should appear to a reviewer.

• Identify the lookup value and the authoritative reference table.
• Decide whether the match must be exact or approximate.
• Test a known match, a missing value, and a duplicate key.

The VLOOKUP exact match mistake to catch

Omitting FALSE can invoke approximate matching and return a plausible wrong record when the first column is not sorted.

Evidence that your VLOOKUP exact match result is trustworthy

Lookup keys should be unique, consistently formatted, and checked against a known sample result.

• Explain how the result supports this task: Add product prices to an order list.
• Retain one known-result check and one boundary or exception check.
• Record the source, period, unit, and refresh assumption beside the output.