Help! need advice - search vlookup match index or something like?!

[MET128]

Hi all,

I have taken on a role as treasurer for the fundraising group (PTA) at my childs primary school. We run school events such as easter egg hunts and movie nights for the kids and the parents complete an online form to pay. I get a download of the childrens names which comes out in this format

Logan Amos

Katie Cooper

Isabella Clyne

Leah Dobbie

Cara Ali Kasir

<colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody>
</tbody>

The parents pay through online banking which comes out in this format:

Amos 2D

K Cooper RDS

Clyne 2AP

l Dobbie 1D

Ali Kair 3E

<colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody>
</tbody>

Is there any tool I can use to look up the childs name and bring back if they have paid? I am familiar with basic excel function vlookup but it only brings back the text for the whole cell. Is there any way to search for text within a cell as the cells do not match exactly?

I really hope so as I have hundreds of names to match up!!!

 

[Trebor76]

Hi MET128,

Welcome to MrExcel!!

You can try and set the range_lookup part of a VLOOKUP formula (last argument of the formula) to TRUE which will return approximate match but being only an approximate match the results will have to reviewed so closely you'd almost be better off doing it manually.

I could write a macro that would look in cell which should yield better results if you iike? I'd just need to know the sheet name(s) of where the names are and what columns they're in.

Thanks,

Robert