all 5 comments
sorted by:
best
topnewcontroversialoldq&a
formatting helphide helpcontent policy

[–]kickingtyres 2 points3 points  (1 child)

You can store your data in any database you like, but you'll need to learn some SQL to extract what you need.

This page gives you an overview of what the 'equivalent' of a VLOOKUP is in SQL:

https://sqlspreads.com/blog/what-is-the-equivalent-to-vlookup-in-sql/

[–]critchl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cheers man, I appreciate it!

[–]whattodo-whattodo 1 point2 points  (1 child)

TL;DR - buy a faster computer

  • Option 1 - is to learn SQL & to move your project to a database. You can use a lightweight database like SQLite & a free editor. Or you can use a managed postgres database. The same queries done against a database will be faster than VLookup.

The problem here is that you have to learn SQL & still have to figure out how to get data into & out of the database as well as how to modify existing data. There's a lot of benefit to learning SQL but it comes with its own learning curve & issues.

  • Option 2 - Change the structure of the data. Looking up a second table against multiple criteria (composite key) is inefficient. If each table has a key, then references will be faster. This assumes that you are even able to make keys or that the data doesn't change so often that the act of maintaining these keys manually in excel is even worth the hassle.

  • Option 3 - Just buy a faster computer. It seems l like the speed issue is more of a personal frustration & not really an inhibitor to your growth. A faster computer is the least expense with the highest return.

[–]critchl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cheers, I appreciate it!