Beginning with Excel 2007, you can – and should – convert a Standard Data Range to an Excel Table. Doing so offers several advantages:
- You get a selection of Table Styles – including Alternate Row Shading – that make it easier to read your tables.
- You can automatically extend the Scope of your Table – by adding additional Fields (Columns) or Records (Rows).
- You can give your Table a “Name” to reflect the purpose of the Table.
- You can add a Total Row to Subtotal each Field (Column) and you can change the Function used to Subtotal from a drop-down menu.
- You can apply Structured Formula References in the Table – Enter the Formula in a Single Cell and it is Automatically copied down for each record in the Table.
“In This Row” Formula Styles
Structured Formula References use a new style of formulas. Rather than referring to a specific Cell, in an Excel Table, you refer to a Field “in this row.” This type of formula is easy to create “inside the table.” It is also fairly easy to create “outside the Table” using the new Formula AutoComplete tool. You will be using [ ] (Left & Right Brackets) for these formulas. I go over these details, in-depth, in this video tutorial.
There are also distinct differences in how Structured Formula References are created between Excel 2007 and Excel 2010. These Structured Formula References are greatly streamlined in Excel 2010 – in my opinion.
The SUBTOTAL() Function and Excel Tables
I strongly recommend that you become familiar with how to use the valuable SUBTOTAL() Function in Excel when referring to the data in a Table. With the SUBTOTAL Function, you can produce a wide range of summaries anywhere on your Excel Workbook. And… the Subtotal Results reflect the totals for any “Filters” that you apply to your Table.
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Go to Part 2 in this Series of Tutorials
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