Excel offers a great vlookup function which allows users to look for a specific value in the leftmost column of their database, and then to retrieve the content of the cell in the matching row and in a predefined column. But what happens if you're not a 100% sure of the value you're interested to find in the leftmost column? Well, that's when pwrVLOOKUP kicks in.
Introducing pwrVLOOKUP – looking flexibly to the left
If you'd like to enjoy vlookup's capabilities while spicing it up a bit, just use pwrVLOOKUP.
In order to use this handy function, simply choose the 'PowerUps' option from the main tool bar:
Then, select the 'PowerUps Functions' option:
Then, select the 'Text Analyzer ' option and the 'pwrVLOOKUP' function from the list of available functions:
Once you've selected to pwrVLOOKUP function you'll be presented with a function window to further modify your specifications. Use the 'Lookupvalue' field to specify the value that will be searched in the leftmost column. Use the 'Tablearray' field to specify the range of fields to be searched for your desired value. Use the 'Columnindex' field to specify the column from which the result should be retrieved. Use the 'Strength' field if you're not a 100% sure about the searched value. The less sure you are, the lower the number you should type in.
This can be especially handy when dealing with names, for example. While you're looking for a John Smith, a relevant entry may be John Smyth. By setting the Strength parameter to about 50% or so, this relevant value will also be retrieved and not missed.
And, you're done! Now you can retrieve relevant information even if you're not a 100% sure as to the value you're looking for!
Good luck!