The lookup function in Excel can save you a lot of time and effort, but only if you actually know how to use its many forms and alterations.

This month’s column shows how to use the remarkably versatile AGGREGATE function in Excel.

The Double X Lookup function stands out due to its ability to perform two-way lookups, a feature that surpasses the limitations of traditional Excel functions like VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP.

The trick to using Excel's VLOOKUP effectively is knowing what commands and values to use in what order.

We’ll use the LOOKUP function to solve this problem. LOOKUP can automatically fill a cell or even a column of data in your worksheet that is dependent upon a value entered elsewhere.