Are you a Google Sheets enthusiast? If so, you’re probably familiar with the XLOOKUP function. But did you know that there’s more to it than meets the eye? In this article, we’ll dive deep into the world of nested XLOOKUP formulas and explore how they can revolutionize your data retrieval game. Let’s get started!
What is Nested XLOOKUP?
Just like the name suggests, nested XLOOKUP is all about going deeper into your data. It allows you to retrieve values from multiple tables by searching through them one by one. While nested XLOOKUP can involve one or two tables, let’s start by exploring the wonders of working with just one.
Nested XLOOKUP with One Table
Imagine you’re a passionate birdwatcher, meticulously recording your encounters with various species in a Google Sheets spreadsheet. The data is structured as follows: Weekday in column A, Bird Name in column B, and Number of Views in column C. Now, let’s say you want to find out the number of views for a specific bird, like “Quail.”
Traditionally, you would use a simple XLOOKUP formula like this:
=XLOOKUP("Quail", B2:B, C2:C)But what if you don’t know which column contains the bird name? Fear not! With nested XLOOKUP, we can dynamically find and return the lookup_range using field labels. Check out this formula:
=XLOOKUP("Bird Name", A1:C1, A2:C)Here, we’re searching for the field label “Bird Name” in the first row of the table and returning all rows from the column that matches the field label. See how flexible and powerful nested XLOOKUP is?
But wait, there’s more! Say you want to filter the data based on a specific weekday before applying the nested XLOOKUP formula. No problem! You can use the FILTER function to achieve this. Here’s an example:
=LET(range, FILTER(A2:C, A2:A="Monday"), XLOOKUP(F2, XLOOKUP(E2, A1:C1, range), CHOOSECOLS(range, 3)))In this formula, we filter the data based on the “Monday” value in the “Weekday” column. Then, using the LET function, we assign a name to the filtered range. Finally, we return the third column from the filtered range as desired. Amazing, isn’t it?
Replacing Result_Range with a Dynamic Formula
Now, let’s take nested XLOOKUP to the next level by exploring the scenario of replacing the result_range with a dynamic formula. Imagine you have an employee dataset, with names in column A and their sales leads from January to April in columns B to D. You want to retrieve the sales leads for a specific employee in a specific month, let’s say Jennifer in February.
To achieve this, we can use the power of nested XLOOKUP. Check out this formula:
=XLOOKUP(G2, A2:A, XLOOKUP(H2, A1:E1, A2:E))Here, we’re using an inner XLOOKUP function to dynamically return the result_range. The inner XLOOKUP searches across the first row for the desired month (“Feb”) and returns values from the matching column in the result range. The outer function then returns the desired value from this column. It’s like magic!
Nested XLOOKUP with Two Tables
Now, let’s explore the world of nested XLOOKUP with two tables. Here, we’ll take the result of one XLOOKUP formula and use it as the search_key in another XLOOKUP. Intrigued? Keep reading!
Imagine you have two tables: “emp data” and “salary.” Both tables have an “ID” field in common. But instead of using the ID to retrieve an employee’s gross salary, what if you could use their name instead?
With nested XLOOKUP, that’s totally possible! Check out this formula:
=XLOOKUP(XLOOKUP("Ben", 'emp data'!B2:B, 'emp data'!A2:A), salary!A2:A, salary!C2:C)Here, the inner XLOOKUP formula returns the ID of “Ben” in the “emp data” table. This ID is then used as the search_key in the outer XLOOKUP formula to find Ben’s salary in the “salary” table. How cool is that?
Conclusion
Congratulations, you’ve just unlocked the secrets of nested XLOOKUP in Google Sheets! We’ve explored various examples and witnessed the incredible power it holds. So, which one will you choose? Will you stick with nested XLOOKUP or explore alternative formulas? The choice is yours.
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