Better Data Organization with Microsoft Excel's Hlookup Function
Microsoft Excel is a popular productivity tool for spreadsheet manipulations. It is the best software for managing small or large volume of data that can be presented in a list format. Aside from the simple and basic data formatting and manipulation tools, Excel also accommodates functions that can organize data better. These include the Vlookup and Hlookup commands to access a reference or lookup table that is stored somewhere in the spreadsheet or workbook. For a list that is presented in a horizontal format, the appropriate function to use is Hlookup. Otherwise, its counterpart, Vlookup should be used.
If a reference or lookup table is organized in rows with values of the same classification that belong to the same row, Hlookup instruction is applicable. This is best to use when repetitive information tends to reflect in a main table or matrix. It will be best to just refer to a secondary table or matrix where specific row values are assigned for every item that a query is made for. Hlookup is also ideal for monitoring values for a particular product. These values can be sales for each product for each month. With this format, the first row should contain the product code and the succeeding rows are the specific months. Each cell that intersects the product code and the month sale corresponds to the sale made for that particular product.
Using Hlookup for the first time can be a bit confusing but if you have tried using Vlookup, it will be easy to adjust to its syntax and structure. The parameters are the same. The first entry in the function is the cell reference or value for the lookup table. If the parameter is an exact value, it should be enclosed with double quotes. Otherwise, you can easily point to the cell number where the value is located. The second parameter is a range of cells corresponding to the lookup table. The first row should include the value in the first parameter, followed by the possible values in the succeeding rows. The third parameter is the row number of the value that needs to be returned. It should start from 2 because the first row is the reference code. The last parameter determines whether Hlookup will return an exact match or an approximation. This can either be true or false. For exact match, the parameter should be set to false.
There are other ways to organize your data in Microsoft Excel. You only have to see which ones will be appropriate for the data that you will be manipulating. It will help to check on the best training sites that will provide step-by-step tutorials to better apply the functions. You may find some free sites that may contain useful information. However, for a complete and more understandable presentation of lessons, it will be easier to rely on some paid services. This is a good approach for those who have the budget to enhance their skills in the use of Microsoft Excel. Functions like Hlookup and Vlookup will be explained with some examples that you can follow.
