Data Validation And Vlookup for Filtering Data In MS Excel

Basically there are different functions and macros in excel that can be used to filter big data sets in dynamic ways. The function we are going to use in this tutorial is vlookup. We will also use data validation in combination with the vlookup function.

An eg of scenarios where data filtering can be used is having the dataset of people in a company with their pay and age in excel that you need to find each and every worker’s name with his or her age and pay.

The are some things you need to take note of before using the vlookup function

1.      Whatever value you are looking for must be in the left side of the table array

2.      The column of data to return after filtering your data must also be considered

3.      The value to return must also be at the right side of your lookup value

To prevent any form of error, one can name the columns by starting from the first column with data

Now lets dive deeper into what vlookup function actually demands. The following the explanations of the argument that vlookup actually takes

1.      Lookup value – this is the value that contains what you are actually searching for

2.      Table array – it is the table containing the values or your data

3.      Column index – this is the column containing the value to return after filtering your data

4.      Last one is the Boolean True or False (True is always recommended)

Also we will be using the data validation in defining the lookup value in this tutorial.

For better explanation of this tutorial, watch the videos below