What does the VLOOKUP function do?

The VLOOKUP function is specifically designed to look up a value within the first column of a specified range and return a corresponding value from a different column in the same row. This is particularly useful when dealing with large datasets where you need to find specific information based on a matching key or identifier.

When using VLOOKUP, you provide a value to look for, the range that contains that value, the column number from which to pull the corresponding result, and an optional argument for exact or approximate matching. This function effectively streamlines the process of retrieving data organized in a vertical format, allowing for efficient data management and analysis.