What if you had to total 168 different fields using the Subtotal command? The maddening Subtotal box only lets you choose three fields before scrolling to see three more fields. In Episode 351, learn the cool way to quickly add the subtotals.
This blog is the video podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 277 tips from the book!
This blog is the video podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 277 tips from the book!
Transcript of the video:
Welcome back to the MrExcel podcast, I'm Bill Jelen.
In the book “Learn Excel from MrExcel”, I teach you how to use the Data, Subtotal command to quickly add subtotals to an entire data set.
And one of the questions that came up in the power Excel seminar: Someone had 168 columns that they needed a subtotal, which would be absolutely maddening to do, because in the Data, Subtotals dialog box, the Add Subtotal only shows you three fields at a time.
So, the person had to go click click click, and then click 3 times to scroll up and repeat, and every time they had to add these subtotals to all 168 columns, it would take forever.
And so we thought about this and try to figure out a better way to quickly add those subtotals.
And the solution is to simply add the subtotal to the very last column, so we'll go ahead and click OK, and we'll get the answer, and then the trick is to select all of the cells that are basically missing the subtotal.
So I'm going to select, for the first subtotal one down(?), and then choose Edit, Go To, Special, Blanks, that will basically select everywhere where I want to add subtotals in.
Now once that is selected, I hit the AutoSum button, which will automatically add the rest of the subtotals in.
So rather than try and click the 168 individual fields, just add the subtotals for the first field, choose all the blanks, Edit, Go To, Special, Blanks, and then hit the AutoSum button, which will correctly add in the subtotals for you.
Hey, there you have it, we'll see you next time for another podcast from MrExcel!
In the book “Learn Excel from MrExcel”, I teach you how to use the Data, Subtotal command to quickly add subtotals to an entire data set.
And one of the questions that came up in the power Excel seminar: Someone had 168 columns that they needed a subtotal, which would be absolutely maddening to do, because in the Data, Subtotals dialog box, the Add Subtotal only shows you three fields at a time.
So, the person had to go click click click, and then click 3 times to scroll up and repeat, and every time they had to add these subtotals to all 168 columns, it would take forever.
And so we thought about this and try to figure out a better way to quickly add those subtotals.
And the solution is to simply add the subtotal to the very last column, so we'll go ahead and click OK, and we'll get the answer, and then the trick is to select all of the cells that are basically missing the subtotal.
So I'm going to select, for the first subtotal one down(?), and then choose Edit, Go To, Special, Blanks, that will basically select everywhere where I want to add subtotals in.
Now once that is selected, I hit the AutoSum button, which will automatically add the rest of the subtotals in.
So rather than try and click the 168 individual fields, just add the subtotals for the first field, choose all the blanks, Edit, Go To, Special, Blanks, and then hit the AutoSum button, which will correctly add in the subtotals for you.
Hey, there you have it, we'll see you next time for another podcast from MrExcel!
