This is the third post in the Gamification + Excel Training series, and in this post we talk about challenges. One component of our gamification strategy is to encourage competition by hosting challenges. In general, competition is motivating and can help people push themselves to accomplish more. So, it is an element used in our […]
In this post, we’ll discuss a way to simulate using VLOOKUP to return multiple matching rows and/or columns. What do you mean by “simulate” Jeff? Well, VLOOKUP is designed to return a single value, not multiple values. That is, VLOOKUP scans down the lookup range and stops at the first matching row … ignoring any […]
In this, our final analysis, we will briefly recap each of the 8 rounds and confirm we understand the key differences between these two incredible functions. Then, we’ll confirm we know when and how to apply each in practice. Let’s get to it. Winner? So, which function is better? Which one should we always use? […]
When Microsoft released XLOOKUP, they also released XMATCH. XMATCH hasn’t received as much attention as XLOOKUP, so I wanted to talk about it here. In summary, it is similar to the legacy MATCH function we’ve been using for decades, but it receives similar enhancements introduced with XLOOKUP. Let’s get to it. XMATCH Before we get […]
The purpose of this round is to examine the ability of each function to perform a range lookup. A range lookup is where we aren’t looking for an exact matching value, but a value that falls between a range of values. So let’s get to it. Round 8 Each sales reps earns a bonus […]
The purpose of this round is to examine the issue of multiple lookup columns. Often, we have a single unique ID that we can use as the lookup value. When that is true, great. But, what happens when we need to use multiple columns for our lookup value? That is exactly what this round is […]
Round 5 begins now! In this post, the goal is to understand the results of each function when no matching rows are found. That is, when the lookup value is not found in the data table. Do the functions return an error? The closest match? 0? Well, that is why we are here, so let’s […]
Welcome to round 4. In this round, we want to explore the issue of return values. Specifically, the data types that our two heavyweights can return. Can they return text values? Numbers? So, that’s the idea … let’s jump right in. Round 4 … ding! Round 4 We have some account numbers, but we […]
Excel is big … really big. It has hundreds of functions and features, but which of these have the most potential to save time and help us work faster? The answer depends on what you’re working on. For common accounting and finance tasks, I believe the following 10 Excel skills can help improve the efficiency […]
Welcome to Round 3. In this round, we want to explore the idea of column order. That is, we want to find out if the order of the lookup table columns matter to these functions. Let’s find out! Round 3 … begins now! Round 3 We are trying to build a little report, and […]