Best Way to Perform 2D Lookup in Excel Using Lambdas

Managing complex Excel sheets can be challenging, especially when you want to pull a value from a 2D array using a row and column index. Unfortunately, Excel still doesn't have a simple function like 2D_LOOKUP(array, row, col) to perform this task. However, you can use a combination of existing functions and lambdas to achieve the same result. In this article, we will cover key concepts and provide detailed context on how to perform a 2D lookup in Excel using lambdas.

What is a 2D Lookup?

A 2D lookup is a way to find a value in a two-dimensional array using row and column indices. It is a more advanced version of the traditional lookup functions like VLOOKUP or HLOOKUP, which can only look up values in a single column or row.

Using Lambda Functions

Lambda functions are user-defined functions that can be created using the LAMBDA function in Excel. They can be used to simplify complex formulas and make them more reusable. In this case, we will create a lambda function to perform a 2D lookup.

Creating a 2D Lookup Function

To create a 2D lookup function, we will use the following formula:

=LAMBDA(array, row, col, INDEX(array, row, col))

This formula creates a lambda function called "2D_LOOKUP" that takes three arguments: array, row, and col. The INDEX function is used to return the value at the specified row and column in the array.

Using the 2D Lookup Function

To use the 2D lookup function, you can call it with the array, row, and column index as arguments. For example, if you have a 2D array in cells A1:D4 and you want to look up the value in the third row and second column, you can use the following formula:

=2D_LOOKUP(A1:D4, 3, 2)

This will return the value in the third row and second column of the 2D array.

Using Named Ranges

To make the formula easier to read and use, you can create named ranges for the array, row, and column index. For example, you can name the 2D array "myArray", the row index "myRow", and the column index "myCol". Then, you can use the following formula to perform the 2D lookup:

=2D_LOOKUP(myArray, myRow, myCol)

This makes the formula more readable and easier to use in your Excel sheet.

Summary

In this article, we covered the key concepts of performing a 2D lookup in Excel using lambdas. By creating a lambda function called "2D_LOOKUP" and using the INDEX function, you can easily look up values in a 2D array using row and column indices. Using named ranges can make the formula more readable and easier to use.

References

• Excel LAMBDA function: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lambda-function-bd212d27-1b94-4208-bbda-60ff051a685d
• Excel INDEX function: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/index-function-0ee99cef-a811-4762-8cfb-a222dd31368a
• Excel named ranges: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/define-and-use-names-in-formulas-4d0f13ac-53b7-422e-afd2-abd7ff37f484