Index/Match with multiple possible answers? - excel

Question

There's a question about how to return some info in Excel, COUNTIFS for VLOOKUP. from #THATNewbie.
Here's a quick summary:
They have this table:
Report Name User Name Report Category
Report 1 John Smith Sales
Report 1 Jack Black Sales
Report 1 Connie Rae Sales
Report 1 Brain Bonds Sales
Report 2 John Smith Sales
Report 2 Connie Rae Sales
Report 3 Jack Black Inventory
And they would like to return the "Report Name" based on User Name and Report Category.
My first thought was just to use Index/Match (as an Array)...however, I realize that if I use "John Smith" and "Sales" to look up the Report Name, there's two possible outcomes: Report 1 and Report 2. Index/Match will always return Report1 (or whatever comes first, going down that column).
My question is: Is there a way to write the Index/Match formula to check if it's already found Report1 and therefore to go to the next match (Report2)?
Here's a screenshot to help visualize. As you can see, the Index/Match correctly finds Report1 in C12, but also in C13. Can you have the formula "look above" and if it's the answer that it WOULD return, to skip that and look for the next? Does that make sense?

Answer 1

You can try something like this:
=INDEX(Report_Name,MATCH(The_User&":"&The_Category,User_Name&":"&Report_Category,0))
The idea is to concatenate user name and report category into a single search item. (I added a colon char as a delimiter; this was optional and could possibly be omitted.) Then use MATCH to get the index of the matching item, and INDEX to convert the index to a specific report.
Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Unfortunately there is no way (to my knowledge) to do this. You will have to add some sort of unique identifier to each row, or a value that helps define it uniquely. For example, you could add a new column with this function
=COUNTIFS($B$2:$B2, "=" & $B2, $C$2:$C2, "=" & $C2)
What this will do is count the total number times that that specific grouping has shown up, and effectively act as a pseudo ID for it. Then you can add that item to your Index/Match
Then in the second table you showed in the image, you just repeat the count function in the match, so you will have
=INDEX($A$2:$A$8, MATCH(1, (A12 = $B$2:$B$8) * (B12 = $C$2:$C$8) * (COUNTIFS($A$12:$A12, "=" & $A2, $B$2:$B2, "=" & $B2) = $D$2:$D8), 0))
This is an array entered forumla

Answer 3

My question is: Is there a way to write the Index/Match formula to
check if it's already found Report1 and therefore to go to the next
match (Report2)?
Yes, but a simpler way it can be done is using index & small.
Index & small
Need to CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER. Copy down for remaining rows.
{=INDEX($A$2:$A$16,SMALL(IF(A19=$B$2:$B$16,IF(B19=$C$2:$C$16,ROW($B$2:$B$16)-ROW($B$2)+1),""),ROW(B2)-1))}
Where A19 & B19 contain cells for search criteria.
Using Index & Match;
This could possibly be simplified but shows the steps.
Add another column alongside the search criteria area & change the formulas as below.
Need to CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER.
Column C (Report Name);
Following for the first row or search criteria item only
{=INDEX($A$1:$A$16,MATCH(A21&B21,$B$2:$B$16&$C$2:$C$16,0)+ROW(A2)-1)}
Copy following down for the remaining rows items.
{=INDEX($A$1:$A$16,MATCH(A22&B22,INDIRECT(CONCATENATE("B",E22,":","B16"))&INDIRECT(CONCATENATE("C",E22,":","C16")),0)+ROW(INDIRECT(CONCATENATE("B",E22)))-1,1)}
Column E - helper column. Helper column returns the start of the next row.
First row item is N/A.
Following for 2nd or search criteria item only.
{=MATCH(A22&B22,$B$2:$B$16&$C$2:$C$16,0)+ROW(A2)}
Following copy down for remaining rows.
{=MATCH(A23&B23,INDIRECT(CONCATENATE("B",E22,":","B16"))&INDIRECT(CONCATENATE("C",E22,":","C16")),0)+ROW(INDIRECT(CONCATENATE("F",E22)))}
This however does assume the search criteria is the same, unlike the other question referred to. If search criteria is different or more complex refer to
COUNTIFS for VLOOKUP