Problem with Multiple Indexes

I would add an aux column to your data table like:

Column C in the table "Phone List" contains the formula:

C2=B2&" "&A2

select C2 and fill down

Then, in the tabele on the right, to locate the specific person in the phone list table use the formula:

B3=VLOOKUP(B2&" "&B1,Phone List :: C:D, 2)

One day we might get "array" formulas in Numbers. They are very handy.

Wayne's suggestion is essentially the same as I would offer for the request made—display the phone number is another column on a separate sheet.

But if you just wanted to see and read the telephone number, you could use the reorganize panel to filter the table.

Here's a sample table, with the reorganize panel located beside it. I've entered one 'rule', but have left the "Show rows" box unchecked so that the whole table is displayed.

In some cases only the single criterium will be necessary. Here, for example, there are three "John"s in the list, so filtering for John makes it pretty east to pick out the right number:

If a single term leaves too long a list, add a second by clicking the + sign. Adding "Smith" brings this list down to a single entry:

Results can be copied from the filtered table, and pasted where you want them.

Regards,

Barry