Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 3

CHAPTER 8 DATA CONSOLIDATION

INFOCUS

WPL_E838

Data Consolidation refers to the process of combining the data

from separate worksheets into one. Excel recognises that this is the
sort of process that could be performed frequently, and so provides
a feature that will create the consolidation for you.
You can combine the data in a variety of ways, including calculating
the total, average, maximum, or minimum figures.

In this session you will:

 gain an understanding of the data consolidation process

in Excel
 learn how to consolidate data from workbooks with
identical layouts
 learn how to create an outlined consolidation
 learn how to consolidate data from workbooks with
different layouts.

© Watsonia Publishing Page 77 Data Consolidation

 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 3

UNDERSTANDING DATA CONSOLIDATION

Excel is quite often used for consolidating data. one overall group or company budget. Data
For example, in a budgeting scenario, Excel may consolidation is a tool within Excel that allows you
be used to collect budget data for several to gather data from other workbooks and to
departments and then consolidate the data into consolidate them into one workbook.

Consolidating Data from Many Workbooks into One Workbook

The data consolidation tool in Excel is used to consolidate data from many, usually smaller
workbooks (known as source workbooks) into one workbook (known as the destination workbook).
Consider a budget example, where three departments are each given a standard budget workbook to
fill in with data.

The common feature in all of these is a consistent layout. With this consistent layout it is possible to
input the data from the three workbooks into a new, destination workbook, one at a time. Each time
the data from a workbook is inputted it is added to data that is already there. As a result this type of
consolidation exercise will yield a destination workbook where the data is in exactly the same layout
as the source workbooks except that it has been summed as now acts as the grand total of the three
departments.

This is a fairly typical use of data consolidation in Excel. However, you can also
input data from workbooks that don’t have a similar layout.

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 3

CONSOLIDATING WITH IDENTICAL LAYOUTS

One way to consolidate data is to use operation, where the values in each worksheet are
worksheets with an identical layout and layered on top of each other until they can be
combine them to calculate the required figures. totalled. You must specify the type of consolidation
In this case the consolidation performs a layering to be performed, such as sum or product.

3
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this exercise you
Open
File

MUST open the file E838

Consolidation_1.xlsx...

 Open the following source data

workbooks (these have the data
that will be consolidated – they all
have an identical layout):
Budget Admin.xlsx
Budget Gallery.xlsx
Budget Marketing.xlsx
Budget Restaurant.xlsx

 Return to E838
Consolidation_1.xlsx and click on
6

cell B8 (the top left corner of the

consolidation area)

 Click on the Data tab of the Ribbon

and click on Consolidate in the
Data Tools group, to display the
Consolidate dialog box

 Click in Reference, click on the

View tab on the Ribbon, click on
Switch Windows and select
Budget Admin

 Select the range B8:L10 and click

on [Add] to add this reference to 7
the list

 Repeat steps 4 and 5 for Budget

Marketing, Budget Gallery and
Budget Restaurant

 Click on [OK] to return to E838

Consolidation_1 where the
consolidation should have occurred

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To perform a consolidation:  When consolidating from workbooks with an
1. Open the destination and the source identical layout, you must position the cell
workbooks pointer in the top left corner of the destination
workbook where you want the data to be
2. Click on Consolidate incorporated, prior to clicking on
3. Set up references to the source workbooks Consolidate .
and click on [OK]

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 3

CREATING AN OUTLINED CONSOLIDATION

The Consolidate dialog box contains an option file and an outlining effect is applied which gives
that allows you to create links to the source the impression that the data has been layered. The
data. With this operation all of the data from the outlines can be expanded or collapsed to show
source workbooks is brought into the destination either the full data or just the summed totals.

2
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this
Open

exercise you MUST

File

open the file E838

Consolidation_2.xlsx...

 Click on B8 – the top

left corner of the
consolidation area

 On the Data tab of the

Ribbon, click on
Consolidate in the
Data Tools group, to 4
display the
Consolidate dialog box
– the References have
already been completed
in this example

 Click on Create links

to source data until it
appears with a tick

 Click on [OK] to
perform the
5
consolidation – an
outlined consolidation
will be created

 Click on the three plus

signs at the left of
the worksheet to
expand the rows and to
see all of the data from
the source workbooks

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To create an outlined consolidation:  Take care not to run the consolidation again.
1. Create the consolidation in the normal way Each time you run it Excel will create an
outline within an outline – it gets very, very
2. In the Consolidate dialog box, click on
messy!
Create links to source data until it appears
ticked
3. Click on [OK]

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 3

CONSOLIDATING WITH DIFFERENT LAYOUTS

There will be occasions where the layout of each the type of products being sold. Excel can review
worksheet may vary a little from each of the the content of the ranges automatically to check the
others. Examples of this include different row and/or column headings, and then plot the
expense types or budget items, or variations in layout and consolidate the data for you.

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this exercise
Open
File

you MUST open the file E838

Consolidation_3.xlsx...

 Open the following source

data workbooks:
Budget Admin.xlsx
Budget Gallery.xlsx
Budget Marketing.xlsx
Budget Restaurant.xlsx

 Return to E838
Consolidation_3.xlsx and
click on A14

 On the Data tab of the

Ribbon, click on Consolidate
4

in the Data Tools group

 Add the References as

shown – note that they all
have the same range
reference

 Click on Left column in Use

labels in until it appears with
a tick

 Excel will examine the labels

in the first column and adjust
the layout of the consolidation
if there are variations between
the worksheets…

 Click on [OK]

 A row for Council Rates

appears in the consolidation
although it only appears in 6
Budget Admin.xls

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To consolidate workbooks with different layouts:  Creating consolidations can be tricky. You
1. Set up the destination workbook in the should ensure that your destination
normal way and display the Consolidate workbook has ample room to accommodate
dialog box the layout variations that may be inserted
from the source workbooks.
2. Click on Left column in Use labels in until it
appears with a tick and click on [OK]

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 3

NOTES:

© Watsonia Publishing Page 82 Data Consolidation