Advanced Microsoft® Office Documents 2007 Edition Inside Out

Using Tables as a Data Tool

When you format a range in Excel as a table, you get a working set of data instead of a simple worksheet of values. To learn how to format a range as a table, see Chapter 13. Once you’ve created that table, take advantage of the following data-management capabilities.

• When you need a column of formulas for your data range, such as sums or averages for each row, you’ll save time if you add those formulas after your range has been formatted as a table. Tables provide a feature called Calculated Columns that enables you to add a column of formulas to the table just by adding a formula into any cell of an empty table column. When you do, the entire column populates with the same formula. In fact, if you then change that ...