Information from one spreadsheet to another automatically

[highguyuk]

Our business has a spreadsheet used by another department with 17 columns worth of project related information. Of this information, our department needs 6 of these columns and to add an extra 4 columns of our own related information. Of the 6 columns of information required, 2 of these are dates columns which are flexible and are updated by the other department.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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I am looking for a way to automatically update our departments spreadsheet with the 6 columns worth of information we need and allow us the ability to add our information too. I am trying to remove the need for duplication of information across our business. We use Microsoft Excel 2003.<o></o>
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I have experimented using data > import external data > import data and this has worked relatively well in regards to the existing information. However, this doesn’t appear to let me add my own information into the same spreadsheet as the imported data. I feel I may be using the wrong solution to the problem. <o></o>
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Whilst I thought I was reasonably competent at Excel, I’m finding this is pushing my working knowledge to the extreme and could do with some help pushing me in the correct direction please!

 

[marka87uk]

Have you tried a VLOOKUP between the workbooks? I would think that'd be the best method for you to use.

 

[highguyuk]

I'm not at all familiar with VLOOKUP. Would you recommend a site for me to find more information/how to use etc for a newbie of VLOOKUP?

 

[marka87uk]

I'm not sure sorry as I have limited internet access where I am at the moment; the formula is documented in the help files in Excel though.

What you would do is something like this...
=VLOOKUP(A2,[OtherWorkbook.xls]Sheet1!$A:$D,2,FALSE)

Where A2 is the unique value you wish to look for in the other workbook, where A-D are the columns in the other workbook where the data is you wish to look up, and where 2 is the column number of the data you want to retrieve.

Hope this helps!

 

[highguyuk]

VLookup going well ... apart from the Table Array field. Struggling to clarify what should go in there as it doesn't appear in your formula? I keep getting a too many arguements error unfortunately.