Have you ever found yourself struggling to use wildcards in the Vlookup range in Google Sheets? If so, you’re not alone. While wildcards are a powerful tool for partial matching in spreadsheet formulas, they don’t work with all functions, including Vlookup. But fear not! In this article, I’ll show you a workaround formula that allows you to harness the power of wildcards in your Vlookup search range.
The Limitations of Wildcards in Vlookup Range
Before we dive into the solution, let’s understand the limitations. In Vlookup, we can only directly use wildcards with the search key, not the range. The search key is the first argument in the Vlookup formula, while the range is the second argument. This means that using wildcards in the Vlookup range isn’t possible without a workaround.
The Workaround: Regexmatch, Filter, and Index Functions to the Rescue
To overcome the limitation of using wildcards in the Vlookup range, we can rely on a combination of three functions: Regexmatch, Filter, and Index. These functions work together seamlessly to provide a solution that mimics the behavior of wildcards in the Vlookup range.
Let’s take a look at the formula:
=index(FILTER($B$2:$B, REGEXMATCH(lower(E2), lower($A$2:$A))), 1, 1)By using this formula, you can achieve what is known as a partial range match in Vlookup in Google Sheets. Let’s break it down step by step:
Step 1: The Role of Regexmatch
The first part of the formula involves the Regexmatch function. It partially matches the value in cell E2 with the range A2:A. The Regexmatch function returns TRUE in the rows that contain a partial match of the search key. To test this formula, you can use it as an array formula:
=ArrayFormula(REGEXMATCH(lower(E2), lower($A$2:$A)))Step 2: Filtering the Boolean True Values
The next step is to filter the Vlookup result (index) column, B2:B, based on the TRUE values returned by the Regexmatch function. This is where the Filter function comes into play. The formula looks like this:
=filter($B$2:$B, REGEXMATCH(lower(E2), lower($A$2:$A)))Step 3: The Role of Index
Sometimes, the above Filter formula may return multiple values in case there are multiple matches for the search key. To ensure consistency with the Vlookup standard, we want to retrieve only the first value. This is where the Index function saves the day, allowing us to retrieve the first value from the filtered range.
Putting it All Together: The Power of Wildcards in Vlookup Range
By combining the Regexmatch, Filter, and Index functions, you can now achieve the desired result of using wildcards in the Vlookup range. Say goodbye to the frustration of not being able to use wildcards and welcome the flexibility and power of this workaround formula.
So go ahead and give it a try! Unlock the full potential of Google Sheets and make your data analysis more efficient and effective.
And remember, if you want to learn more about Google Sheets and other useful functions, head over to Crawlan.com. Stay tuned for more exciting tips and tricks for maximizing your productivity!
Happy Sheets-ing!
