How to use the MATCH and INDEX functions together to look up values in a table in Excel?

To use the MATCH and INDEX functions together to look up values in a table in Excel, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Make sure you have a data table in your Excel workbook, where you want to look up values.

  2. Identify the value you want to look up in the table. For example, let's assume you want to look up the sales amount for a specific product in a sales table.

  3. Decide on the lookup range for the match function. The match function will search for the value in a specific column of your table. In our example, let's say the product names are listed in column A of the table.

  4. Enter the match formula in the cell where you want the lookup result to appear. The formula format for match is: =MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type])

    For example: =MATCH("ProductA", A:A, 0) In this formula, "ProductA" is the value you want to look up, A:A is the lookup range (column A of the table), and 0 is the match_type argument which specifies an exact match.

    The match function will return the relative position of the matched value in the lookup range.

  5. Determine the index range for the index function. The index function will retrieve the value from a specific column in your table based on the row number.

  6. Enter the index formula in a separate cell to retrieve the desired value. The formula format for index is: =INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])

    For example: =INDEX(B:B, 3) In this formula, B:B is the index range (column B of the table), and 3 is the row number where the match function found the value.

    The index function will return the value located at the specified row and column position in the index range.

By combining these two functions, you can easily look up values in a table based on specific criteria.