Re: finding exact matches using vlookup

Well, TRIM function might not work just good enought because it cleans
spaces but it doesnt clean HIDDEN characters! For that job there is CLEAN
function!
So your VLOOKUP should be little modify:
=VLOOKUP(A2,CLEAN(range),column_index,0)



"Peo Sjoblom" <peo.sjoblom@nw^^excelsolutions.com> wrote in message
news:e90VEP2rGHA.984@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You can run a macro

http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/join.htm#trimall


same site has instructions on how to install macros

if the extra character is a space you can use

=VLOOKUP(A2,TRIM(range),column_index,FALSE)

replace A2 with your lookup value and range with your lookup table

entered with ctrl + shift & enter


--


Regards,

Peo Sjoblom

Excel 95 - Excel 2007
Northwest Excel Solutions
www.nwexcelsolutions.com



"Ekazakoff" <Ekazakoff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:4E661115-54CA-419B-ADCD-01ED3F914E4F@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I did find I have hidden characters. How do I get rid of them?
"Ekazakoff" wrote:

I am getting #N/A errors even when I have an apparently exact match in
my
table array to the lookup value. I know that excel requires the formats
to
be exactly the same and I can force the match if I copy the lookup value
from
my table array and paste it into the work***. Is there an easy way to
"fix" my table array. The table array is a reference work*** I have
created which has worked in the past.




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