Excel 2019 Bible

Part IV: Managing and Analyzing Data

If you create both a row outline and a column outline in a worksheet, you can work with

each outline independently of the other. For example, you can show the row outline at the

second level and the column outline at the first level. Figure 27.5 shows the model with

both outlines collapsed at the second level. The result is a high-level summary table that

displays regional totals by quarter.

FIGURE 27.5

The worksheet with both outlines collapsed at the second level

You can find the workbook used in the preceding examples on this book’s website at http://www.wiley

.com/go/excel2019bible. The file is named outline example.xlsx.

Keep in mind the following points about worksheet outlines:

■ A worksheet can have only one outline. If you need to create more than one out-

line, use a different worksheet.

■ You can either create an outline manually or have Excel do it for you automatically.

If you choose the latter option, you may need to do some preparation to get the

worksheet in the proper format. (The next section covers both methods.)

■ (^) You can create an outline either for all data on a worksheet or just for a selected
data range.
■ (^) You can remove an outline with a single command: Data ➪ Outline ➪ Ungroup ➪
Clear Outline. See “Removing an outline” later in this chapter.
■ (^) You can hide the outline symbols (to free screen space) but retain the outline. We
show you how in the “Hiding the outline symbols” section later in this chapter.
■ (^) An outline can have up to eight nested levels.
Worksheet outlines can be quite useful. If your main objective is to summarize a large
amount of data, though, you may be better off using a PivotTable. A PivotTable is much
more flexible and doesn’t require that you create the subtotal formulas; it does the summa-
rizing for you automatically. The ultimate solution depends on your data source. If you’re