Using the Lookup Wizard

Excel comes with several very powerful tools that you can use for a variety of calculations; these tools are not installed by default, but are available as add-ins. Throughout this book, you will find tasks that use some of these tools. For example, to easily identify the value in a cell at the intersection of a row and a column, you can use the Lookup Wizard.
You install all of the add-in tools using the same technique. You should not need your Office 2007 disc when you install any of the add-in tools. Think of this process as more like activating than installing a tool.
You can have Excel return the value that appears at the intersection of a row and a column in a range that you specify. You can use a combination of the INDEX and MATCH functions by manually typing the function, but the syntax of the combined functions is complex; correctly typing the combined functions can be complicated. You may find it easier to use the Lookup Wizard, which creates the combined functions for you by asking you a series of questions.

Install the Lookup Wizard

1 Click the Formulas tab.
• The Lookup Wizard does not appear in the Solutions group.
2 Click .
3 Click Excel Options. The Excel Options dialog box appears.
4 Click Add-Ins.
• Currently installed add-ins appear here.
• Add-ins not yet installed appear here.
5 Click here and choose Excel Add-ins.
6 Click Go.
The Add-Ins dialog box appears.
7 Click here to select the Lookup Wizard ( changes to ).
8 Click OK.
Excel adds the Lookup Wizard to the Solutions group on the Formulas tab.

Using the Lookup Wizard
1 Click in the range you want to search.
2 Click Lookup to start the Lookup Wizard.
• Excel proposes a range to search.
3 If necessary, select a different range.
4 Click Next.





TIPS

When would I use the MATCH and INDEX functions instead of the Lookup Wizard?
The approach you take to find the values you want is really a matter of personal
preference. The Lookup Wizard creates a function that combines the MATCH and INDEX functions for you automatically. If you are really comfortable with Excel’s functions and prefer to create the combination functions yourself, or, if you do not want to use a wizard, you can enter the functions without using the Lookup Wizard. See the section, “Look Up a Value in a Table,” for details on creating the combined functions without using the Lookup Wizard.

Can I uninstall the Lookup Wizard?
Yes. Repeat Steps 2 to 4 in the subsection, “Install the Lookup Wizard.” The Lookup Wizard appears in the list of installed add-ins. Click Go, and, in the Add-Ins dialog box, click the Lookup Wizard (changes to ). Click OK and then click the Formulas tab. The Lookup Wizard no longer appears in the Solutions group.

Can I install other add-ins at the same time that I install the Lookup Wizard?
Yes, you can. In the Add-Ins dialog box, click each add-in that you want to install
( changes to ) and click OK. Each of the add-ins that you install appears either
in the Solutions group on the Formulas tab or in the Analysis group on the Data tab.