John Walkenbach's Favorite Excel 2010 Tips and Tricks

Chapter 8. Data Analysis and Lists

Much of the data contained in your worksheets is in the form of a list. In this part, you'll find tips that deal with lists and data analysis.

Tips and Where to Find Them

• Tip 158 Using the Table Feature 335

• Tip 159 Working with Tables 338

• Tip 160 Using Formulas with a Table 341

• Tip 161 Numbering Rows in a Table 345

• Tip 162 Using Custom Views with Filtering 347

• Tip 163 Putting Advanced Filter Results on a Different Sheet 349

• Tip 164 Comparing Two Ranges by Using Conditional Formatting 350

• Tip 165 Randomizing a List 353

• Tip 166 Filling the Gaps in a Report 355

• Tip 167 Creating a List from a Summary Table 357

• Tip 168 Finding Duplicates by Using Conditional Formatting 360

• Tip 169 Creating a Quick Frequency Tabulation 362

• Tip 170 Controlling References to Cells within a Pivot Table 365

• Tip 171 Grouping Items by Date in a Pivot Table 366

• Tip 172 Unlinking a Pivot Table from Its Source 369

• Tip 173 Using Pivot Table Slicers 371

Using the Table Feature

One significant new feature introduced in Excel 2007 is tables. A table is a rectangular range of data that has a row of text headings to describe the contents of each column. Excel has always supported tables, of course, but the new implementation makes common tasks much easier to do — and makes the results a lot better looking. More important, the new table features can help eliminate some common errors. Many users overlook this new feature, but it's really worth knowing about.

Understanding what a table is

A table is simply ...