How to use Excel VLOOKUP function with words that begin with the letters AB

Mastering Excel VLOOKUP with Wildcards for 'AB' Starting Words

Unlock the power of VLOOKUP in Excel to find data based on words that begin with specific letters, such as 'AB', using wildcard characters. This article provides practical examples and best practices.

The Excel VLOOKUP function is a cornerstone for data analysis, allowing you to search for values in a table and return corresponding data. While typically used for exact matches, its versatility extends to partial matches, particularly useful when you need to find data based on a common prefix. This article will guide you through using VLOOKUP with wildcard characters to locate words starting with specific letters, focusing on the 'AB' prefix.

Understanding VLOOKUP and Wildcards

VLOOKUP (Vertical LOOKUP) searches for a value in the first column of a table array and returns a value in the same row from a column you specify. The syntax is VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup]). For partial matches, Excel offers wildcard characters:

• * (asterisk): Represents any sequence of characters (zero or more).
• ? (question mark): Represents any single character.
• ~ (tilde): An escape character, used before *, ?, or ~ if you want to find an actual asterisk, question mark, or tilde.

To find words starting with 'AB', we'll combine 'AB' with the asterisk wildcard: "AB*". This tells VLOOKUP to look for any text string that begins with 'AB', followed by zero or more other characters.

VLOOKUP with Wildcard Process Flow

Practical Example: Finding 'AB' Starting Products

Let's say you have a product list with product IDs and names, and you want to retrieve the Product ID for any product whose name starts with 'AB'.

Consider the following data in a worksheet (Sheet1):

Our goal is to find the Product ID for products like 'Absinthe' or 'Abacus'. The key is to construct the lookup_value correctly.

=VLOOKUP("AB*",B2:C9,1,FALSE)

This formula searches for any product name starting with 'AB' in column B (the first column of the table_array) and returns the corresponding Product ID from column A (column 1 of the table_array).

In this formula:

• "AB*": This is our lookup_value. The * wildcard ensures that any text starting with 'AB' is considered a match.
• B2:C9: This is the table_array where VLOOKUP will search. The first column of this range (column B) must contain the values you are looking up (Product Names).
• 1: This is the col_index_num, indicating that we want to return the value from the first column of our table_array (which is Product ID).
• FALSE: This specifies an exact match. Even though we are using a wildcard, FALSE tells VLOOKUP to find an exact match for the pattern specified by "AB*".

Advanced Usage and Considerations

While simple "AB*" works for prefixes, you can also combine wildcards for more complex patterns. For example, "AB?" would match 'ABA', 'ABB', but not 'ABACUS'. "*AB*" would match any word containing 'AB' anywhere.

Keep in mind that VLOOKUP will return the first match it finds. If your table contains multiple product names starting with 'AB' (e.g., 'Absinthe' and 'Abacus'), the formula will return the Product ID of the first one encountered in the table_array.

1. Step 1

Open your Excel worksheet containing the data you want to search.

2. Step 2

Identify the column that contains the text you wish to match (e.g., Product Name column). This will be the first column of your table_array.

3. Step 3

In a blank cell, type the VLOOKUP formula, ensuring your lookup_value includes the desired prefix and the * wildcard (e.g., "AB*").

4. Step 4

Specify your table_array, making sure the lookup column is the first column in the array.

5. Step 5

Enter the col_index_num for the column whose value you want to retrieve.

6. Step 6

Set the range_lookup argument to FALSE for an exact pattern match.

7. Step 7

Press Enter to see the result. If a match is found, the corresponding value will be displayed; otherwise, #N/A will appear.