Mix VLOOKUP with Data Validation for some magic! [VLOOKUP Week]

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This article is part of our VLOOKUP Week. Read more.

Situation

Sometimes we don’t know what we want. If this happens when I am in a bar, I usually order a cocktail. Just a mix of everything. The same will work in Excel too.

For eg. If you have lots of data, but the value you want to look up needs to change based on whims and fancies of your users, then you can resort to a cocktail. A mix of VLOOKUP with Drop down lists (Data validation)

Data:

Data for this Example -Mix VLOOKUP with Data Validation for Some Magic

Solution

The recipe for VLOOKUP cocktail is relatively simple. We just take the list of sales person names and use it as a source for our input cell’s data validation drop down list. Rest is left to your imagination. Here is an example in action.

Examples:

Data for this Example -Mix VLOOKUP with Data Validation for Some Magic

Sample File

Download Example File – Mix VLOOKUP with Data Validation for Some Magic

Similar Tips

VLOOKUP Week @ Chandoo.org - Learn tips on lookup formulas in Excel

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22 Responses to “Master Excel 2007 Ribbon with this Free Learning Guide”

  1. Finnur says:

    Thank you, kind sir. Well done with the baby making.

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    I cannot get signed up for your newsletter. I tied both this email address and churchill2001@hotmail.com. never a response.

  3. doug churchill says:

    I cannot get signed up for your newsletter. I tied both this email address and churchill2001_at_hotmail_dot_com. never a response for either attempt.

    • Chandoo says:

      @Doug, it shows that your email address is pending verification. Can you check your inbox (and may be spam folder too) for an email from me? The subject will be "Activate Subscription to Get your Free Excel Tips E-book"

  4. ajay says:

    Very Useful Info..Keep it up..

  5. Chandoo says:

    @Ajay.. you are welcome 🙂

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  7. Mark says:

    I can't open this pdf. I get the error message:

    You do not have the required license to open this file.

    Please request a license from the creator of the file, and add it using the license manager and they try opening it again.

    What gives??

  8. Mark says:

    I downloaded the file again and it worked this time. Strange. (First file was 116 KB, second was 1644 KB... ???)

  9. Michael says:

    Hi Chandoo,
    thanks for sharing your Excel 2007 learning experience with us; unfortunately the link to the pdf of the free Excel 2007 learning guide seems broken: my Acrobate Readers flags: "Unkown file type or corrupte data".
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    Michael

  10. anja says:

    well done this is great

  11. Fabian says:

    Can somebody just provide a link the classic TAB exportedUI files for MS Office 2003 for us to use in office 2007/2010?. searching online, everybody just wnats to make a buck online with silly Classic Tab installers which do nothing more than inport exportedUI files for you.

    Don't give me a ribbon how to guide, just give me free exportedUI files. I should not have to pay anyone for this, it is free XML, MS should have included this to begin with.

  12. rocky says:

    thanks

  13. kartik says:

    Dear.
    There are a set of debit values and a set ot credit values in a column. I want a vba code by whcich the debit value plus a single / multiple credit value is zero that needs to be marked .
    finally i will come to know out of the avaibale debits which cannot be used the with avilable credits either single or multiple values.
    If multiple matching sets are available let it take the 1st or the 2nd one its not an issue.
    Column A Ref
    -1000 A
    -5000 B
    -8000 C
    800 A
    100 A
    100 A
    2000 B
    3000 B
    13000
    15000

  14. ridwan says:

    hi...
    how to make this add-ins and display in ribbon... check this sample : http://www.cprsoft.com/GCDemo01.htm
    thank you sir...
     

  15. Aleem Qamar says:

    Please tell me format painter short cut key In excel ?
    Thanks In Advance

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