Index Match question

[billfinn]

Good morning!
I am trying to teach myself how to use Index Match to address a request from my VP and am running into an issue. I think I know what's causing it but want to be sure. I'm creating a summary section with multiple types of data and the columns aren't consistent. I have a description in E58 that I want to find in the workbook Item Master and return the Item Number . I want the Item Number to be shown in D58, which is where the formula is located. Formula is

=INDEX('Item Master'!A:A,MATCH(E58,E58:E60,0))

I can successfully do an index match in the Item Master worksheet that has consistent columns with the same data type. That's what makes me think my layout could be a problem.
My file is quite large , I can try to create a sample file if that is what's required

Any thoughts or suggestions are very much appreciated
thanks,
Bill

 

[billfinn]

Never mind, I figure out what I was doing wrong. I needed to reference the Item Master sheet on both ends of the formula and hadn't. Working fine now.
sorry for the interruption.
Bill

 

[steve the fish]

Im not quite sure what was intended in your formula but i dont think its a reference to a sheet thats your entire issue. This for instance always produces whatever is in cell A1 of Item Master sheet provided E58 isnt blank or an error:

=INDEX('Item Master'!A:A,MATCH(E58,E58:E60,0))

The match will always produce 1 or an error so the index is always fed 1 and of a column reference that is the first cell in that column.