EASY....Pivot Table!....Here's how:

From the Excel Main Menu: <Data<Pivot Table
Use: Excel..Click [Next]
Select your data..Click [Next]
Click the [Layout] button

ROW: Drag the Name field here
COLUMN: Drag the EventName field here
DATA: Drag the PointsEarned field here
If it doesn't list as Sum of PointsEarned...dbl-click it and select Sum
Click [OK]
Select where you want the Pivot Table.Click [Finish].

That will create a table showing with:
Names down the left side
EventNames across the top
Sum of PointsEarnedand at each intersection

To refresh the Pivot Table, just right click it and select Refresh Data

Pivot Table Links:
http://www.nickhodge.co.uk/gui/datam...ablereport.htm
http://www.contextures.com/tiptech.html


Is that something you can work with?
Post back if you have more questions.
--------------------------

Regards,

Ron
Microsoft MVP (Excel)
(XL2003, Win XP)


"JMG" wrote in message
...
Basic output from 3rd party database is .xls in a format similar to:

Name OtherData OtherData EventName PointsEarned
Jones xxxxx xxxxx baseball 2.0
Jones xxxxx xxxxx football 2.5
Jones xxxxx xxxxx soccer 3.0
Smith xxxxx xxxxx baseball 1.0
Smith xxxxx xxxxx football 1.1
Smith xxxxx xxxxx soccer 1.5
White...and so on

My Goal:
Lookup by Name and EventName, and return PointsEarned.

BASEBALL FOOTBALL SOCCER

Jones 2.0 2.5 3.0
Smith 1.0 1.1 1.5
White...

I also totally lack understanding of PivotTables, and out of pure
stubbornness, am trying to avoid using them. ...probably to my own
demise.

Thanks in advance.
--
JMG