Values in cells that contain only digits can be numbers or text. And =vlookup()
will not match a number (123) with text (="123").

Debra Dalgleish has lots of notes on troubleshooting =vlookup():
http://contextures.com/xlFunctions02.html#Trouble

If the table contains text and your key (first parm in the =vlookup() formula is
numeric, you can use something like:

=vlookup(e1&"",invoices!a:b,2,false)

If the values in the table are numbers and your key is numeric, you can use:

=vlookup(--e1,invoices!a:b,2,false)

But the real problem is when you have a mixture of both in each sheet. I think
it's a much better idea to cleanse the data and not fiddle with the formula.

aimlessmn wrote:

i have three tabs (x2, invoices and adjustments). on each tab is a list of
invoice numbers as well as an amount for payments applied to each invoice. i
need to find the corresponding amounts from the last two worksheets and list
those by the amounts on the first worksheet. i finally found a formula that
works "=VLOOKUP($E$4:$E$2429,invoices!$A$8:$B$2114,2,TRU E)" and
"=VLOOKUP($E$4:$E$2429,adjustments!$A$7:$B$265,2,F ALSE)". however, it
doesn't work unless i actually type in the invoice numbers in the first
worksheet. am i missing something here or do i actually have to go in and
type in all 2,425 invoice numbers in order for the formulas to work properly?

--

Dave Peterson