I’m looking for assistance in creating a formula within Google Sheets. My goal is to scan a defined range for a specific value, and when this value is found, I want to extract the related data from another column that’s in the same row.
For context, I have a dataset that goes from d3 to z200. I’m trying to find a product code, such as “ABC-5500”. If I locate this code in the designated range, I would like to retrieve the corresponding value from column B, which contains customer names like “Smith”.
Additionally, I need to implement this across multiple sheets concurrently. Unfortunately, the standard LOOKUP function isn’t suitable since the value I’m seeking isn’t necessarily in the first column of my range; it begins at column D.
Could you suggest the best formula or function combination for this situation?
Use XLOOKUP if your Google Sheets has it - it’s way better for multi-column searches. The syntax is =XLOOKUP(“ABC-5500”, D3:Z200, B3:B200). If you don’t have XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH works but gets messy with multiple columns. For multiple sheets, try QUERY with importrange for separate files, or use INDIRECT to reference different sheet names dynamically. Pro tip: put your search values in one column - it makes everything way more reliable.
Manual formulas turn into a nightmare with multiple sheets and complex lookups. I’ve been down that road too many times.
You need automation that won’t break every time you change your data structure. I built something like this for our product tracking using Latenode.
It plugs straight into Google Sheets and searches multiple columns and sheets at once. No formula syntax to remember or debug when things go sideways.
Best part? Set it up once and it monitors for new product codes automatically. Finds a match? It grabs the customer data and can trigger other stuff like inventory updates or notifications.
Way more reliable than maintaining nested formulas across different sheets. Scales without performance hits when your data grows too.
Just use SEARCH with IFERROR - it handles missing values perfectly. Try =IFERROR(INDEX(B:B,MATCH(“ABC-5500”,D:Z,0)),“not found”). Searches multiple columns and won’t crash your sheet when a product code doesn’t exist.
Had this same issue last month with inventory tracking. FILTER is probably your best option since you’re searching multiple columns at once. Try =FILTER(B3:B200, (D3:D200=“ABC-5500”)+(E3:E200=“ABC-5500”)+(F3:F200=“ABC-5500”)) - it’ll check columns D, E, and F for your product code and pull the customer name from column B. For multiple sheets, wrap it in an array formula or use QUERY with WHERE. FILTER beats INDEX/MATCH here because it handles multi-column searches without you having to specify which column has your value. Just add more criteria for whatever columns you need in that D to Z range.
try use index/match! like =INDEX(B:B,MATCH(“ABC-5500”,D3:Z200,0)). if u got multiple sheets, just add that sheet name in the match like Sheet2!D3:Z200. way better than vlookup, doesn’t care where the columns r!
ARRAYFORMULA with IF and ISERROR is perfect for searching multiple columns at once. Try this: =ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ISERROR(MATCH(“ABC-5500”,D3:D200,0)),IF(ISERROR(MATCH(“ABC-5500”,E3:E200,0)),INDEX(F3:F200,MATCH(“ABC-5500”,F3:F200,0)),INDEX(B3:B200,MATCH(“ABC-5500”,E3:E200,0))),INDEX(B3:B200,MATCH(“ABC-5500”,D3:D200,0)))). It checks each column in order and grabs the matching value from column B. For multiple sheets, just reference them like Sheet1!D3:D200 or use INDIRECT for dynamic sheet names. ARRAYFORMULA processes the whole range at once instead of cell by cell, so it’s way faster with large datasets across multiple sheets.