Working with Tables and Lists in Excel

Tables and lists are excellent for organizing related data neatly into rows and columns. This makes the data easy to read, concise, and easy to filter. There are a number of benefits to putting your data into tables:

  • You can filter the data even if there are empty rows or columns.

  • Clicking into the table displays the filter arrows in the header row which give you options to sort and filter the data.

  • When you scroll past the column headers, the headers at the top of screen automatically switch to display the header names.

  • If you add a row after the last row or a column to the left of the last column in the table, the table expands to encapsulate the new row or column.

  • Charts or PivotTable dynamic views based on a table automatic update if the table size changes.

  • If you enter a formula in the first cell of the table row, the formula automatically fills down the entire column.

  • If you edit a formula in one field, all formulas in that row/column update automatically.