Excel for Accounting Professionals Session 5: Error Trapping and Improving Lookups

Overview

Practical hands-on Excel learning exercises taught by a highly engaging expert in the field
You’ll develop your expertise with real-world Excel workbooks. Despite the popularity of VLOOKUP, it has its drawbacks. This session will address these drawbacks while offering alternatives.
You’ll walk through the VLOOKUP and IFERROR functions, and explore the following topics:

Improving the use of VLOOKUP with VALUE/TEXT

Improving the use of VLOOKUP with MATCH.

Moving beyond VLOOKUP with INDEX

Trapping errors with IFERROR

Moving beyond basic Excel functions

Grasping the limitations and possible enhancements for the VLOOKUP feature, along with methods to handle errors can elevate your proficiency in Excel.

You'll also partake in hands-on Excel activities that showcase the integration of functions and their use in crafting spreadsheets, encompassing:

Combining functions to enhance flexibility

Utilizing functions for atypical data categories

Perfecting sophisticated lookup functions

*Session 5 is one of eight sessions that is available as an individual session. Each session builds on the prior sessions, so you'll want to consider watching [Session 6: List Comparisons and Indenting] (https://www.aicpa-cima.com/cpe-learning/webcast/excel-for-accounting-professionals-session-6--list-comparisons-and-indenting) to further prepare to tackle real-world issues and build powerful workbooks.*

Objectives

Apply the use of VLOOKUP with MATCH to search information effectively in Excel.
Apply the use of VLOOKUP with VALUE/TEXT to increase VLOOKUP functionality.
Determine when to move beyond VLOOKUP with the INDEX function.
Identify ways to trap errors with IFERROR.
Use the IF function.

Highlights

VLOOKUP function

MATCH function

INDEX function

Error trapping

IF function

Designed For

Accounting and finance professionals who’d like to improve their mastery of Microsoft Excel

Prerequisites

Working knowledge of Excel

Notice

You will receive an email from the AICPA with instructions to access the webinar.

Fees

Credits

Level

Code

Vendor

Fields of Study

Leader(s):

Liam Bastickaicpa, AICPA

Leader Bios

Liam Bastickaicpa, AICPA

Liam Bastick FCA, FCMA Liam has over 30 years of experience in financial model development, auditing, valuations, M&A, strategy, training, and consultancy. He is the Managing Director of the boutique modelling firm, SumProduct, providing corporate finance modeming assistance, training, and consulting to clients worldwide. A regular author and editor of accounting, modelling, and Excel articles, Liam has written various books, including Excel Insights, Introduction to Financial Modelling, and Financial Modelling for Power BI. He is also an award-winning trainer, recognized 13 times as a Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in Excel by Microsoft, and appointed worldwide. He won the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award for Financial Modelling (FMI) in 2021 and was a finalist for the Lifetime Achievement Award in MS Excel (2023) (GES).

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