What are Excel Tables and why are they Awesome?
April 14, 2020
BY BOHDANNA, DIRECTOR OF EVALUATION
If you use Excel to store data, you know about worksheets and how you can organize information with columns and rows.
Did you know Excel has a feature that makes your information easier to navigate with a few clicks?
The awesomeness (aka benefits) of Excel Tables:
What it does |
So you can… |
| Creates filters for each column | Quickly sort or filter information
|
| Recognizes data as a set range | Automatically expand your data range and formulas when you add new columns and rows |
| Provides an option to show a total row | Make quick calculations in a toggle (e.g., Sum, Average) |
| Names your Excel table | Easily reference data in other worksheets and workbooks |
Are you sold?
Here’s the steps to create an Excel table:
- Select a cell somewhere in your table
- Click Insert > Table (keyboard shortcuts: Ctr+T (Windows) or Cmd + T (Mac))
- Confirm the table range (i.e., the cell range to include in the table)
- Confirm if your data range includes a header row (i.e., column labels)
- Click “ok”
- With your table active (i.e., select a cell in the table) use the ‘table’ ribbon to format your table design
To convert back to a data range:
- Select a cell somewhere in your table
- Click Table > Convert to range