Class 2 of 3: Text and Lookup Functions

Here are the formulas that we looked at during class 2 of 3:

TEXT FUNCTIONS
The text functions are some of the most used in Excel when you're working with lists and database extractions. Whenever you extract data from a Database, more often than not it needs to be cleaned up. This is where the following text functions come to our help. Be aware however, these are not the comprehensive list of them. There are many other ones and I encourage you to explore the Function Wizard to learn other ones:

LOOKUP FUNCTIONS
The lookup functions are crucial to Excel. Without these the amount of manual work would be huge. Anyone who considers themselves a serious Excel student, must learn these. It is for this reason that I decided to cover them. They are not the easiest to use, but with practice, anyone can learn them.

The VLOOKUP function is the first one most people learn to use. I call it the basic lookup function because it's somewhat easy to understand and use. It definitely has its place among the heavy lifters in Excel; my issues with it is that it requires setup and if you don't follow it, it won't work. Here is its syntax and an example.

The INDEX-MATCH function is the more advanced and elegant of the lookup functions in my opinion. It's not perfect, because it also requires that the data be cleaned up of leading and trailing spaces for it to work. But outside of that, I use it almost exclusively. It's not the most intuitive of functions, but with practice, you'll get the hang of it. Here is its syntax and a example for you to use.

I know it was a lot to cover, but I feel it was necessary. Now, you must practice your skill. Use the data I've provided and look for the assignment and its solution to practice. Keep Excelling!