Lookup up a data set (Sorry for the reposts, the site froze as I posted)

[just rewrite it]

I want to allow a workbook reviewer to review each of three different scenarios by typing the numbers 1, 2, or 3 into a cell in order to populate a table of data from three data sets.

My first instinct was to use conditionals:

=if(C3=1,B2,0),if(c3=2,C2,0),if(c3=3,D2,0)

While I see the logic, I don't think Excel does.

Then I wanted to use a lookup table:

=(VLOOKUP(c3,b1:b2,b1,FALSE)) - and variations

That didn't work because Excel likes to look up numbers. It can't understand that I want to use it as an organizational tool and do the thinking for it.

Now I've been looking at Index, Address, and Match functions, but they don't seem to nest nicely or insist on looking for numerals as opposed to a cell reference.

I can conform my data to any row/column structure that Excel might understand. Any ideas for what command and format I could use to make this work?

Thanks so much.

(Sorry for the blank posts, the site/board seemed to freeze for several minutes just as I hit post.)

 

[shg]

For the first, perhaps instead

=IFERROR(INDEX(B2:D2, C3), "")

I don't understand the rest of your post.

 

[just rewrite it]

I'm sorry, I thought it was clear.

I'm just looking for a way to set up a table that is filled in with data from a specific set of cells depending on whether someone enters a variable of 1 - 3 in a "selection box." But Excel only seems willing to look for numbers that exactly or approximately match a value that I add to a "vlookup" function, or its ability to nest commands in a conditional statement is very limited.

Thus, I can't seem to figure out how to either (a) write a function to tell Excel to fetch data from a set of cells that I associate with each selection box variable, or (b) how to set up a group of lookup tables that will help Excel juggle the data in the way I need.

I was hoping someone might have some ideas on how to do this; I'm not sure your first suggestion helps, but appreciate the thought.

 

[John Davis]

I want to allow a workbook reviewer to review each of three different scenarios by typing the numbers 1, 2, or 3 into a cell in order to populate a table of data from three data sets.

My first instinct was to use conditionals:

=if(C3=1,B2,0),if(c3=2,C2,0),if(c3=3,D2,0)

While I see the logic, I don't think Excel does.

Then I wanted to use a lookup table:

=(VLOOKUP(c3,b1:b2,b1,FALSE)) - and variations

That didn't work because Excel likes to look up numbers. It can't understand that I want to use it as an organizational tool and do the thinking for it.

Now I've been looking at Index, Address, and Match functions, but they don't seem to nest nicely or insist on looking for numerals as opposed to a cell reference.

I can conform my data to any row/column structure that Excel might understand. Any ideas for what command and format I could use to make this work?

Thanks so much.

(Sorry for the blank posts, the site/board seemed to freeze for several minutes just as I hit post.)

Do you mean:

=IF(C3=1,B2,IF(C3=2,C2,IF(C3=3,D2,0)))