Why is my lookup returning the wrong value?

Why is my lookup returning the wrong value?

If the range_lookup argument is FALSE, VLOOKUP will find only an exact match. If there are two or more values in the first column of table_array that match the lookup_value, the first value found is used. If an exact match is not found, the error value #N/A is returned.

Why is lookup function not working?

Problem: The lookup column is not sorted in the ascending order. If the range_lookup argument is set to TRUE—and one of your lookup columns is not sorted in the ascending (A-Z) order—you will see the #N/A error. Solution: Change the VLOOKUP function to look for an exact match.

When can VLOOKUP go wrong?

By default, VLOOKUP will do an approximate match. This is a dangerous default because VLOOKUP may quietly return an incorrect result when it doesn’t find your lookup value.

Why is my VLOOKUP returning NA when value exists?

The most common cause of the #N/A error is with VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, LOOKUP, or MATCH functions if a formula can’t find a referenced value. For example, your lookup value doesn’t exist in the source data. In this case there is no “Banana” listed in the lookup table, so VLOOKUP returns a #N/A error.

Why is VLOOKUP bad?

It can not lookup and return a value which is to the left of the lookup value. It works only with data which is arranged vertically. VLOOKUP would give a wrong result if you add/delete a new column in your data (as the column number value now refers to the wrong column).

What is the lookup formula?

The LOOKUP function is one of the lookup and reference functions. It is used to return a value from a selected range (row or column containing the data in ascending order). The function searches for the lookup-value in the lookup-vector and returns the value from the same position in the lookup-result.

What is the alternative for VLOOKUP?

INDEX-MATCH
1) INDEX-MATCH: If you don’t have an Office 365 subscription, INDEX-MATCH is your best alternative to VLOOKUP. INDEX formula provides you with the exact location of a cell in a range. By nesting the MATCH formula in INDEX, you can replace VLOOKUP in a much more robust way.

Is VLOOKUP an error?

The IFERROR function allows you to catch errors and return your own custom value when there is an error. If VLOOKUP returns a value normally, there is no error and the looked up value is returned. If VLOOKUP returns the #N/A error, IFERROR takes over and returns the value you supply.

How do I convert na to blank in Excel?

Use Excel’s Find/Replace Function to Replace Zeros

1. Open your worksheet and either 1) select the data range to be changed or 2) select a single cell to change the entire worksheet.
2. Choose Find/Replace (CTRL-H).
3. Use 0 for Find what and leave the Replace with field blank (see below).

Is INDEX better than VLOOKUP?

INDEX-MATCH is much better: It’s never slower than VLOOKUP and can be much faster. It returns a reference rather than a value, which allows us to use it for more purposes. It doesn’t care where the result array is with regard to the lookup array.

Why does lookup return the wrong value in Excel?

The lookup is just trying to find the identifier and then return the quantity for that identify from the next column. The formula I’m using is “=IFERROR (LOOKUP (B1,Sheet1!$D$2:$E$31,Sheet1!$E$2:$E$31), “”)”. But it keeps either returning no number or the wrong number.

What happens if range _ lookup is false in VLOOKUP?

If range_lookup is FALSE, the values in the first column of table_array do not need to be sorted. If the range_lookup argument is FALSE, VLOOKUP will find only an exact match. If there are two or more values in the first column of table_array that match the lookup_value, the first value found is used.

How to troubleshoot and fix a VLOOKUP formula?

How to troubleshoot and fix a VLOOKUP formula, when the lookup numbers result in an #N/A error. Get the free workbook with the VLOOKUP problem and solutions. To learn the basics of VLOOKUP, and see more examples, go to the VLOOKUP Function page In this example, there is a simple lookup table, with category codes and category names.

How to check if a number is a real number in VLOOKUP?

Here are a few other ways to see if a value is a real number: Use the ISNUMBER function. For example: =ISNUMBER (B2) Check the alignment — by default, text will left align, and numbers right align. Select the VLOOKUP formula cell, and click the fx button in the Formula Bar.