Resolved: Why use Index Match when you can just use Index?
I had to watch the video and read the notes a few times but from what I understand the Index formula uses rows and columns to give you the cell contents of any cell, and Match gives you the position of the cell either in rows OR columns. I was confused about how to do step 3 in the exercise so unfortunately after trying for a long time and getting errors I had to peek at the solution. For cell H10 you have the Index Match solution but I came up with =INDEX($A$2:$E$7, 5, 1). They both show the correct information so why would I use Index Match instead of Index?
Hi Dylan,
The idea is that MATCH serves like the tool that locates the lookup value you're looking for. In the example you have provided, we don't have an automatic way to lookup the needed value. This is exactly why we add MATCH to the function. By the way, all this is going to be easier with the new XLOOKUP function Microsoft introduced 2 years ago.
Best,
Ned