RAND function nested inside a VLOOKUP

[SuperWhistle]

My assignment wants me to have a RAND nested inside a VLOOKUP but I'm not sure how exactly that would look.

What would a basic nested rand function look like?

stu.png

[Tony Valko]

Many members are unable to see images in the *.png format due to forum compatibility issues with some browsers.

If you need to post an image post it in the *.jpg format.

Even better than posting images... post a SMALL sample file. That way we can test solutions directly in the file with the relevant data.

[MrShorty]

What is the logic behind using a random number in the VLOOKUP() function? That will determine what it looks like. There are four arguments to the VLOOKUP() function (https://support.office.com/en-us/art...8-93a18ad188a1 ):

1) first argument -- lookup value. Find a random number in your lookup table and return the corresponding value from the desired column. =VLOOKUP(RAND(),lookup_table,col#,approx_match).
2) second argument -- lookup table. Generate some random numbers, then find the desired number in that set of random numbers. =VLOOKUP(lookup_value,range of cells containing RAND() function,col #,approx_match)
3) third argument -- column # -- return the value from a random column =VLOOKUP(lookup_value,lookup_table,RANDBETWEEN(1,5),approx_match)
4) fourth argument -- approx_match -- randomly decide whether to do a linear search/exact match or a binary search/approximate match =VLOOKUP(lookup_value,lookup_table,col#,RANDBETWEEN(0,1))

Those are the ways I could see using random numbers in the VLOOKUP() function. Decide which logic best represents what you are trying to do.