Nested INDEX formula as an alternative to VLOOKUP

VLOOKUP can often be a very inconvenient formula to use because you can only reference the lookup value when it's in the left most column of the source table you're searching. To get around this problem use a MATCH formula nested in an INDEX formula:

=INDEX(F:F,MATCH(B2,G:G,0)

Column F contains the value you want returned from the source table, B2 is the value you are looking up, and column G is where the lookup value can be found. 0 specifies that an exact match is needed. See the example below.