Microsoft Excel is perhaps the most powerful spreadsheet application you can buy. But it also has some simple functions, like finding duplicates in data.

If you need to reconcile batches of records in Microsoft Excel, this simple VLOOKUP() solution offers a quick and easy way to find records in one batch that are missing from another.

Excel provides built-in tools to help you to find discrepancies like Filters, Conditional Formatting, advanced functions (If and IS, VLookUp, etc.), and Add-ins.

The VLOOKUP function is one of the most useful when pulling information from an Excel database. Here's how it works and how you can start using it in your work.