On the other side of the coin, the INDEX MATCH does not have any restrictions for the lookup value. Ie.. I personally feel that MS Query could be added to the clash between VLOOKUP vs. INDEX MATCH. If you really cared about speed, you would switch to the Charles Williams concept of using two VLOOKUP(,,,TRUE) instead of one INDEX(MATCH()) where you would see a 100-fold increase in speed. What puzzles me now is why it is not assembled in to one excel function with vlookup syntax to get the best of both? the data array can be modified and the INDEX/MATCH doesn't lose it's way. I have a dataset 100 x 100. I'd like to search a cell for text. Verdict: INDEX/MATCH combo gives you a lot more flexibility than VLOOKUP. Sorry Don, it must be the way you teach it. In many instances it will be wrong so there is no point in moving to look up further data fields until data and formula issues are corrected. Use IFERROR with VLOOKUP to Get Rid of #N/A Errors, Use VLookup to Get the Last Number in a List in Excel, http://blog.contextures.com/archives/2016/05/05/enter-complex-excel-formulas-fast/, http://www.analystcave.com/excel-vlookup-vs-index-match-vs-sql-performance/, http://trumpexcel.com/2015/03/excel-leave-tracker/, http://blog.excelstrategiesllc.com/2014/11/20/vlookup-vs-indexmatch-debate-sql, http://www.decisionmodels.com/optspeede.htm, http://www.excelguru.ca/forums/showthread.php?132-INDEX-MATCH-versus-VLOOKUP&p=599&viewfull=1#post599, http://mrexcel.com/articles/excel-vlookup-index-match.php, http://exceluser.com/formulas/excels-vlookup-vs-index-match-functions.htm, http://www.excelhero.com/blog/2011/03/the-imposing-index.html, http://bigdon-in-vbaland.blogspot.com/2014/11/indexmatch-v-vlookup.html, Can it reference data between different worksheets or workbooks? INDEX … VLOOKUP has size restrictions for lookup value which can’t exceed 255 characters. It can do most of the things people need when working with data. The XLOOKUP function has been just recently announced as a new addition to the Excel functions base. I want to switch it to index match and see how it goes. By default, the VLOOKUP function performs a case-insensitive lookup. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more –, All in One Excel VBA Bundle (120+ Courses, 30+ Projects). This is the only fact that goes in the way of VLOOKUP. The vlookup is significantly more popular for many Excel users. While you may find INDEX/MATCH equally easy when you get a hang of it, a beginner is likely to gravitate towards VLOOKUP. This is Arikrishnan. A lot of times, you may be required to fetch the … I usually develop a workbook then review it with the owner, typically a business manager or director. Some people claim INDEX MATCH is faster and perhaps if you are looking through millions of records you might notice a slight difference. let us take a look at the formula for INDEX MATCH which is a combination of both functions: Components of INDEX MATCH. This is because range_lookup determines whether VLOOKUP returns an approximate match or an exact match. I will cover all these in this article. Sumit: Your comparison of an INDEX/MATCH combo with a stand-alone VLOOKUP is as unfair as comparing apples and oranges! During one of my Excel Training sessions, I was surprised to find out that most of the people were aware and, in some cases, proficient in using VLOOKUP, but almost none of them knew about the powerful INDEX/MATCH combo. Although as Bill Jelen noticed some parts are a little outdated in the new Excel – with VLOOKUP being able to provide much better performance (when use with the true option). Great points on speed and flexibility.. Concept of 2 Vlookups is a learning for me too. This only works if there are false right? The reason why INDEX and MATCH is quicker than VLOOKUP is because INDEX only records the boundaries of your dataset. There is a lot of argument in this article about how to give VLOOKUP the advantages of MATCH-INDEX. VLOOKUP is superior to INDEX-MATCH as long as you control your “table” and can arrange it so that the lookup column is where you want it. Handle row/columns numbers in case you insert or delete some from the dataset. The ease of use is a huge factor for Vlookup. Lookup formulas come in handy whenever you want to have Excel automatically return the price, product ID, address, or some other associated value from a table based on some lookup value. It’s similar to above Index Vs Vlookup. With it came also other less known functions such as the XMATCH etc. Maybe I’m just too set in my ways, another group other than new Excel users who won’t switch completely, the people who have been using Excel since before there was Windows. I developed an event/employee scheduling system back in the late 90’s using LOTUS 123 which I converted over to Excel somewhere around 2004. Nice article, but I’m still not convinced I should use INDEX(MATCH()) more than VLOOKUP(). INDEX MATCH is usually faster than the VLOOKUP. Yes, you can create a big complex formula to make VLOOKUP look on the left and make the column number dynamic, but then ease of use goes out of the window. But once i had to delete, insert columns, it became a nightmare.. On it’s own, Vlookup can not look to the right. V at the start of the formula stands for vertical. The VLOOKUP Excel function is one of the most popular functions, around which there has always been much debate. Case-sensitive lookup . The biggest selling point to me is that VLOOKUP is easy to teach to people, and it sticks, INDEX/MATCH less so, and even though I know all about INDEX/MATCH my first recourse is usually to VLOOKUP; I generally only use INDEX/MATCH when there is some twist in the requirement where I am adding some conditional test into the lookup. VLOOKUP is not friendly when it comes to copy and drag. Hi Bob.. VLOOKUP is a shorter function that consumes less CPU when running while INDEX/MATCH is a more complex function that consumes more CPU, but allows for more lookup versatility. Both Debjit and Bob Phillips have shown how VLOOKUP can be used in combination with another function to return a value from the left. INDEX MATCH does not posses any limit of size or length for matching values. The INDEX function can also return a specific value in a two-dimensional range. In short INDEX MATCH does the work of both VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP in a single formula. Index returns the value of a cell in a table based on the column and row number and Match returns the position of a cell in a row or column. VLOOKUP Example. VLOOKUP would give a wrong result if you add/delete a new column in your data (as the column number value now refers to the wrong column). I use INDEX/MATCH almost exclusively, especially if I'm working with tables. The reason I ask about the size of your tables is that my tables rarely reach over 250 records. INDEX/MATCH is a powerful combo that has more flexibility and speed than the VLOOKUP formula. INDEX MATCH is an amazing formula combination which can perform Excel magic. Match cells outside of your indexed range. INDEX MATCH is hard to understand as well as remember due to its complex nature that combines two functions/formulae. Once I have them hooked into VLOOKUP() I can add the complexity needed for bigger problems. ©TrumpExcel.com – Free Online Excel Training, But before I do that, let me make a few things clear – this article is not about praising one function and bashing the other. Although this is not a popularity contest, it plays a huge role in why VLOOKUP gets used so much. INDEX MATCH vs. VLOOKUP. Case-sensitive Lookup. Joined Jan 7, 2003 Messages 299. Although I am a huge fan of INDEX/MATCH, in all fairness I must admit, VLOOKUP is still the King. VLOOKUP is very poor when we try to drag the formula across rows or columns with the same reference value. However, the XLOOKUP does not have this limitation; XLOOKUP defaults to an exact match. Before getting to the comparison, I think it’s important to know the basic difference (and more importantly the similarities) between these two functions. If, for example, you wanted to be able to change the output column from Age to Country, you’d need to manually change the formula to refer to a different column. In real life, that never happens, as usually just when you finish your model, there is the need to insert, add, delete, change, etc. On the other hand, INDEX MATCH is smart enough to find out the actual value associated with the column when we drag the formula across rows/columns. I agree with majority of your commentators, given the choice, I would take the VLOOKUP route. Several years ago I wrote an article that compared VLOOKUP and INDEX-MATCH in more detail, Excel’s VLOOKUP vs INDEX-MATCH Functions. In his article, Charley Kyd states: “At its worst, the INDEX-MATCH method is about as fast as VLOOKUP; at its best, it’s much faster.” INDEX/MATCH is Independent of the Actual Column Position. The default value for this argument is 1. 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