What does the VLOOKUP function do?

The VLOOKUP function is designed to search for a specific value within the first column of a designated table or range. Once it finds a match for this value, it retrieves and returns a corresponding value from another column in the same row of that table. This functionality is particularly useful for retrieving data from large datasets where you may want to obtain information related to a specific identifier, such as looking up a product price based on its ID or finding a student's grade using their student number.

For instance, if you had a table with student names in the first column and their grades in the second column, you could use VLOOKUP to find the grade of any student simply by entering their name. The function allows for efficient data retrieval, making it an essential tool for anyone working with spreadsheets to manage and analyze data.