@lizgallagher
As is often the case, seeing what you're attempting to describe would be very helpful. That is to say, if you could attach a copy of the actual workbook (or a mockup, if the actual contains confidential or proprietary data), that would help us help you.
That said, I don't think INDEX and MATCH are what you want at all; they're really good for when the data all resides in a table. It's possible that you could use INDIRECT. Here's a resource that explains the INDIRECT function: https://exceljet.net/excel-functions/excel-indirect-function
But it is also possible that we might recommend a different way to organize your data. It's a common mistake (among those relatively new to Excel) to create separate spreadsheets for different items being tracked (as it appears you've done here). Excel actually works very well when a single database is created incorporating data on all those different items...it's easier to extract data on a "per-item" basis from a single comprehensive database than it is to consolidate the data from disparate spreadsheets (which is what it appears you might be doing).
And, yes, there are times when what works best is a hybrid of those two extremes. The basic point remains: it would be easier to give you specific suggestions if we were able to see a sample of the actual workbook you've created.
