Hi Jeff, there's a bit of a description of dynamic range names on
my site (see "4 Sure-Fire Ways to Build Efficient Excel Reports").
Once you have your range name, select the Data Validation, select List from the Allow drop-down, and enter your range name for the source. Be sure to use =lstValues for the range name lstValues (for instance), not just lstValues.
Lookups (such as VLOOKUP or HLOOKUP) are great for small workbooks, but will bog down performance for larger workbooks. Use a combination of MATCH and INDEX instead of lookups in those cases.
An additional benefit of dynamic ranges used in conjunction with data validation is that the source data for the validated listed need not reside on the same worksheet, which allows for much more flexible and easier to maintain designs.
Post back if you have further questions.
