I DID define it. Column one is a movie number in a 166k record movie
database. Column two is a number that references a list of actors.

So, the 633k record actor list will have duplicate occurrences of movie
numbers when more than one actor is in a movie, just like the sample data
shows.

Those actor numbers get looked up later. What I want to do is extract
the list of actor numbers a given (chosen) movie number has with it.

The returned list would simply be 1 to 20 (or whatever) numbers.

I would then use that list of numbers to grab the list of actor names.
Those particulars are not important.

The question is simply about extracting a small list of matching values
from a large list. A simple two column list. Put a movie number in a
cell, and a list of actor numbers appears which are matches from the
list.






On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:26:34 +0530, "Ashish Mathur"
wrote:

Hi,

If you wish, you may mail me the workbook at ask(at)ashishmathur(dot)com.
Since this would be a heavy file, please do not mail it to me. Upload the
file somewhere and then mail me the link.

Also, please explain the problem very clearly.

--
Regards,

Ashish Mathur
Microsoft Excel MVP
www.ashishmathur.com

"CellShocked" <cellshocked@thecellvalueattheendofthespreadsheet. org wrote
in message ...

I have a list of 633 thousand entries that ties a movie number with all
the actors that were in it for about 166 thousand movie titles (numbers).

I want to reference that movie number, and extract a table or list of
only those entries that match that number from this list of all entries.

The returned list will be a list of numbers, which I will then derive a
list of names from an "actor's" sheet. This keeps the data set (file
size) smaller.

Movie_num Actor_num

1 22345
1 38425
2 12345
2 23456
2 34567
3 45678
3 56789
3 67890
3 78901

And then later...

Actor_num Actor_name

This one I can do.Those are just single lookups.

I just do not know how to extract a short list from a longer list.