Maximize Excel: Lookup Function Basics
Presented by David H. Ringstrom, CPA
 
Event Date/Time: 11/12/26 12:00 PM Eastern
Duration: 100 minutes
 
Excel expert David Ringstrom, CPA, believes every Excel user should be familiar with lookup functions. In this valuable presentation, David introduces several lookup functions, including VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, MINIFS, and IFERROR. These powerful Excel functions allow you to rapidly develop accurate spreadsheets and look up information—such as pay rates, item prices, and accounting results—versus manually linking to specific cells. David explains the context of when to use lookup functions, demonstrates troubleshooting techniques, and prepares you to deal with subtle issues that can prevent them from working properly.
 
David demonstrates every technique at least twice: first, on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps, and second, in the subscription-based Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) version of Excel. David draws your attention to any differences in the older versions of Excel (2021, 2019, 2016 and earlier) during the presentation as well as in his detailed handouts. David also provides an Excel workbook that includes most of the examples he uses during the webcast.
 
Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based product that provides new feature updates as often as monthly. Conversely, the perpetual licensed versions of Excel have feature sets that don't change. Perpetual licensed versions have year numbers, such as Excel 2021, Excel 2019, and so on.
 
Who should attend:
Practitioners who wish to learn how to implement a variety of lookup functions, which will allow them to work more efficiently in Excel.
 
Topics covered:
 
• Employing the SUMIF function to sum values related to multiple instances of criteria you specify.
 
• Exploring  the XLOOKUP worksheet function in Excel 2021 and Microsoft 365.
 
• Exploring why VLOOKUP sometimes returns #N/A instead of a desired result.
 
• Future-proofing VLOOKUP by referencing entire columns when available.
 
• Future-proofing VLOOKUP by using Excel’s Table feature versus referencing static ranges.
 
• Improving the integrity of spreadsheets with Excel’s VLOOKUP function.
 
• Learning what types of user actions can trigger #REF! errors.
 
• Simplifying multiple-field lookups with concatenation (combining fields into a single cell).
 
• Troubleshooting other errors VLOOKUP can present, such as #REF!, #NAME!, and #VALUE!.
 
• Understanding the importance of absolute references within many lookup functions.
 
• Using the Function Wizard to edit or review existing VLOOKUP formulas.
 
• Using VLOOKUP to look up data from another workbook.
 
Learning objectives:
• Apply the VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP functions.
• Define how to improve spreadsheet integrity with Excel’s VLOOKUP function.
• Recall how to deal with subtle issues that can prevent lookup functions from working properly.
 
 
Level:
Basic

 
Instructional Method:
Group: Internet Based
 
NASBA Field of Study:
Computer Software & Applications (2 hours)
 
Program Prerequisites:
none
 
Advance Preparation:
none