Microsoft Excel - VLOOKUP Use Case

🔍  Excel VLOOKUP Use Case - Fetching Data Across Sheets

📘 Use Case

You have data stored in multiple sheets — for example, integration details in one sheet (FileBasedIntegrations_SFTPMAIL) and a list of integration names in another.
You want Excel to automatically fetch matching details (like mail ID, file path, or status) based on the integration name.

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💡 Formula Used

=VLOOKUP(F2, FileBasedIntegrations_SFTPMAIL!A:J, 9, 0)

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⚙️ Step-by-Step Explanation

Step	Meaning
Step 1: Identify lookup value (F2)	This is the value Excel will search for — located in cell F2 (for example, the Integration Name).
Step 2: Define table array (FileBasedIntegrations_SFTPMAIL!A:J)	This is the range where Excel will search. Here, it looks in column A of the sheet FileBasedIntegrations_SFTPMAIL and can return data from columns A through J.
Step 3: Set column index number (9)	Excel will return the value from the 9th column in the specified range, corresponding to the row where the lookup value was found.
Step 4: Specify match type (0)	The 0 (or FALSE) means exact match — Excel will only return a result if it finds an exact match for the lookup value in column A.

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🧩 Example

Let’s say you have a lookup setup like this:

Sheet 1 (Main Sheet):

Integration Name	Details
PAYROLL_EXTRACT	(Formula here)

Sheet 2 (FileBasedIntegrations_SFTPMAIL):

A (Integration Name)	...	I (SFTP Mail ID)
PAYROLL_EXTRACT	...	hr_sftp@company.com
FINANCE_REPORT	...	finance_sftp@company.com

Now, when you enter this formula in Sheet 1:

=VLOOKUP(F2, FileBasedIntegrations_SFTPMAIL!A:J, 9, 0)

If F2 contains PAYROLL_EXTRACT, Excel searches column A in FileBasedIntegrations_SFTPMAIL, finds the matching row, and returns the value from column 9 — here, hr_sftp@company.com.

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✅ Solution Summary

• VLOOKUP connects data across sheets using a shared key (like an ID or name).
• It saves time, reduces manual searching, and maintains consistency in large Excel reports.
• Ideal for ERP, HR, and Integration tracking spreadsheets where details are stored in separate tables.