Excel 2019 Bible

627

C H A P T E R

27

Creating and Using Worksheet

Outlines

IN THIS CHAPTER

Introducing worksheet outlines

Creating an outline

Working with outlines

I

f you use a word processor, you may be familiar with the concept of an outline. Most word pro-

cessors (including Microsoft Word) have an outline mode that lets you view only the headings

and subheadings in your document. You can easily expand a heading to show the text below it.

Using an outline makes visualizing the structure of your document easy.

Excel also is capable of using outlines. Understanding this feature can make working with certain

types of worksheets much easier for you.

Introducing Worksheet Outlines

You’ll find that some worksheets are more suitable for outlines than others. You can use outlines to

create summary reports that don’t show all of the details. If your worksheet uses hierarchical data

with subtotals, it’s probably a good candidate for an outline.

The best way to understand how worksheet outlining works is to look at an example. Figure 27.1

shows a simple sales summary sheet without an outline. Formulas are used to calculate subtotals by

region and by quarter.

Figure 27.2 shows the same worksheet after the outline was created by selecting only the rows and

using Data ➪ Outline ➪ Group ➪ Auto Outline. Notice that Excel adds a new section to the left of

the screen. This section contains outline controls that enable you to determine which level to view.

This particular outline has three levels: States, Regions (each region consists of states grouped into

categories such as West, East, and Central), and Grand Total (the sum of each region’s subtotal).

Excel® 2019 Bible, First Edition. Michael Alexander, Dick Kusleika and John Walkenbach.
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.