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Excel University Lessons 202–203: Advanced Lookups, Error Trapping and Logic Functions

Move beyond VLOOKUP with XLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH and FILTER, then trap the errors they return with IFERROR, IF, ISERROR and COUNTIFS.

Created byJeff Lenningworkspace_premiumBest Instructor
IntermediateUpdated Sep 28, 2026

What You'll Learn

  • check_circleApply the MATCH function to create dynamic VLOOKUP references
  • check_circleResolve data type mismatch errors using VALUE and TEXT functions
  • check_circleImplement INDEX-MATCH formulas for left-directional data retrieval
  • check_circleUtilize XLOOKUP for flexible, multi-column, and multi-condition lookups
  • check_circleAggregate filtered data using helper functions like SUM and TEXTJOIN
  • check_circleTrap and interpret formula errors with IFERROR, ISERROR and the IF function

About This Course

This course provides a comprehensive guide to modernizing data lookup processes in Excel by addressing the limitations of the traditional VLOOKUP function. It covers techniques for creating dynamic, resilient formulas that adapt to column inserts, handle mismatched data types, and perform complex lookups in any direction. Participants will learn to leverage the power of INDEX-MATCH, XLOOKUP, and the versatile FILTER function to automate recurring reporting tasks and improve workbook accuracy.

Topics Covered:

  • VLOOKUP limitations and workarounds
  • Dynamic column indexing with MATCH
  • Data type conversion with VALUE and TEXT
  • Left-directional lookups using INDEX-MATCH
  • XLOOKUP function syntax and capabilities
  • Multi-condition filtering with FILTER
  • Aggregation of lookup results
  • Search mode options in XLOOKUP

Course Content

3 activities • 18 videos • duration: 1h 54m

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Lecture9 videos • 1 quiz • 1.1 hours
  • videocamC6 Improve VLOOKUP with MATCH
    Duration 8:55
  • videocamC7 Improve VLOOKUP with VALUE and TEXT
    Duration 7:04
  • videocamC8 Moving Beyond VLOOKUP with INDEX
    Duration 8:25
  • quizImproving VLOOKUP with MATCH Quiz
  • videocamC9 Trap Errors with IFERROR
    Duration 4:15
  • videocamC10 The IF Function
    Duration 3:31
  • videocamC12 The ISERROR Function
    Duration 7:03
  • videocamC11 List Comparisons
    Duration 3:29
  • videocamVideo XLOOKUP
    Duration 18:57
  • videocamC13 Multicolumn Comparisons COUNTIFS
    Duration 6:46
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Additional Resources9 videos • 1 quiz • 45 min
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Final Assessment1 quiz

Your Instructor

Jeff Lenning

CPA and Microsoft Certified Trainer

menu_book36 courses
star1,180 reviews

In his live CPE training sessions, Jeff Lenning CPA has shown thousands of CPAs and accounting professionals across the country how to use Excel to streamline their work and become more efficient. Several publications have featured his Excel articles, including the Journal of Accountancy and California CPA Magazine. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Jeff began his career in the audit practice at Arthur Andersen’s Orange County office. He was a senior financial analyst at Gateway computers and the accounting manager at Interpore Cross International. In 2000, he founded Click Consulting Inc., a technology-consulting firm that specializes in Excel training, consulting, development, and personal coaching. He is a past president of the CalCPA OCLB Chapter, the former chair of the California CPA State Technology Committee, co-chair of the California CPA OCLB Chapter Technology Committee, a board member of the California CPA OCLB Chapter, on the California Society of CPAs Council, and an instructor for the AICPA and the California CPA Education Foundation. A Microsoft Office Certified Excel Expert, he is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer. He was recently recognized with the California CPA Education Foundation's Award for Instructor Excellence.

Credit Information

Is this course eligible for my CPD requirements as a Canadian CPA?

Provincial regulators of CPAs in Canada do not require that independent providers of CPD be approved to offer courses. Instead, individual CPAs are responsible for assessing whether a CPD activity meets their requirements, and may take activities from any source provided those requirements are met.

Every course offered on LearnFormula is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, and advances learning objectives that are relevant to the responsibilities or professional competencies of Canadian CPAs. All activities on LearnFormula are quantifiable in terms of hours, and are also verifiable, in that users receive documented evidence of their attendance via a certificate of completion after finishing a course (and this certificate is stored by LearnFormula indefinitely). Nearly 100,000 Canadian CPAs successfully satisfy their CPD requirements via LearnFormula on an annual basis.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We are a registered provider with 300+ associations and regulatory bodies worldwide. We operate across 27 global markets including Canada, the US, Australia, and the UK. Every course page clearly displays its specific accreditations. Upon completion, you receive a professional certificate that can be validated online. Our certificates include all necessary accreditation details, credit hours, and completion dates, and are formatted specifically to meet the submission requirements of most global regulatory bodies.

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