Vlookup problem

[Kimkoala67]

Hi everyone! My name is Kimberly and I am "OK' at using excel until you start needing more in depth equations. My boss informed me my job description requires me to be proficient in excel... Hmmm... I have been at this job for 22 years and barely used excel until he took over 5 years ago. Even then, we used it minimally. He is an EXPERT and I do mean EXPERT in it. I am guessing he THINKS EVERYONE is proficient in it...ROFLMBO... Anyways, this brings me to my first issue...

I am trying to create a spreadsheet that utilizes VLOOKUP. I have attached it for some help. I can't get the first column in the masterpage tab to work... Any help would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks...Kim

[ChemistB]

Okay, maybe we need to take a few steps back. In Masterpage cell A9, what is it we are trying to lookup and what do we expect to appear in that cell?

[Kimkoala67]

A9 in the masterpage tab is supposed to return the portfolio code from tab 1 transsummary

[ChemistB]

Which portfolio code? If you were doing it manually, how would you explain it?
i.e. "First, on Masterpage, I look at the values in E5 and F5 and try to find them on the Transummary page in the same row. Then I look in column C and put that portfolio code into A9."
With the VLOOKUP, typically, you look for a specific value from a cell (on Masterpage) in a column on Transummary. When it finds that value, it pulls a second value based on the third argument/number in your VLOOKUP.

=VLOOKUP(value to lookup or cell where that value is, where to look that value up including all columns where you want to pull a value back, count of columns to right of first column (with 1 as first column) that you want to return, FALSE means you are looking for an exact match)

[Kimkoala67]

Ok, so, what I want to happen and what I have already tried to make work may not be correct...LOL With that said, I am trying to make the masterpage look at different tabs I have along the bottom, I am just working on the first column in hopes to understand the rest of the sheet. What I need to happen, is for the masterpage in A9 to read whatever portfolio code appears in column 3 on the transsummary page and populate it into that cell. I am sorry if this seems like I am rambling, I am new to VLOOKUP and trying to understand how it works...LOL

[ChemistB]

Here's how VLOOKUP works. it finds a specific value in a table by looking down the leftmost column of values and then returns another value on the same row as that found value.
I attached your workbook. I put "CVS" into cell A5 of MasterPage.
In A9, I want to return the portfolio code that is next to "CVS" on the Transsummary page.
Here's the formula
=VLOOKUP(A5, transsummary!$B$7:$F$47,2, FALSE)

A5 is the value it's looking up so it's CVS

transummary!$B$7:$F$47 is where it will be looking and returning from. With a VLOOKUP, the value you are looking for (CVS) must always be the leftmost column of this table/array. That's why I start with B and not A because column B is where the "security symbols" are. The $ are used to keep those references anchored. If I copied that formula from F9 to F10, the B7 and F47 would not change. The A5 would change to A6.

2 is how many columns over is the value I want to return (including 1st column). Since I am starting in B, B would be 1. I want the portfolio code which is in column C so that's 2.

FALSE means I am looking for an exact match which we are doing.

[Kimkoala67]

Thank you so much! You rock!!