Explanation

INDEX function is used to retrieve a value from a range of cells. For example – return the 6th item in the range A1:A8.

It’s most commonly used as part of the INDEX MATCH function combination which is an alternative to the beloved-yet-somewhat-dumb VLOOKUP function

Syntax

=INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])

array – This is the range from which we’d like to retrieve the item. The range is usually a column, but can also be a row, and even a range of multiple rows and columns.

row_num – This is the relative row number from which we’ll retrieve the value.

[column_num] – This is the relative column number from which we’ll retrieve the value. This is an optional argument, meaning that if we use the INDEX function on a single column range (such as A1:A7), we don’t need to use this argument at all.

Practice INDEX function

Let’s try to see how this function works!

 

Can't access the exercise? Below you can find the link to download the Excel file: 

INDEX.xlsx (2984 downloads )