Then select one of the Excel spreadsheets you want to merge. Click the upper left cell on the spreadsheet and drag to select the area to merge. Make sure to select extra rows after the data to make room for the data you're adding. How To Merge 2 Excel SpreadSheets Into One In Microsoft Excel How To Combine 2 Excel SpreadSheets Into One In Microsoft Excel How To Combine 2 Sets Of Data Into One SpreadSheet In Microsoft Excel.
Excel macros are like mini-programs that perform repetitive tasks, saving you a lot of time and typing. For example, it takes Excel less than one-tenth of a second to calculate an entire, massive spreadsheet. It’s the manual operations that slow you down.
That’s why you need macros to combine all of these chores into a single one-second transaction. Excel macros: Tips for getting startedWe’re going to show you how to write your first macro. Once you see how easy it is to automate tasks using macros, you’ll never go back.First, some tips on how to prepare your data for macros:. Always begin your macro at the Home position (use the key combination Ctrl+ Home to get there quickly).
Use the directional keys to navigate: Up, Down, Right, Left, End, Home, etc., and shortcut keys to expedite movement. Keep your macros small and focused on specific tasks. This is best for testing and editing (if needed). You can always combine these mini-macros into one BIG macro later once they’re perfected.
Macros require “relative” cell addresses, which means you “point” to the cells rather than hard-code the actual (or “absolute”) cell address (such as A1, B19, C20, etc.) in the macro. Spreadsheets are dynamic, which means they constantly change, which means the cell addresses change. Fixed values and static information such as names, addresses, ID numbers, etc. Are generally entered in advance and not really part of your macro. Because this data rarely changes (and if it does, it’s just to add or remove a new record), it’s almost impossible to include this function in a macro. Manage your data first: Add, edit, or delete records, then enter the updated values.
Then you can execute your macro.Why starting with mini-macros is easierFor this example, we have a store owner who has expanded her territory from a single store to a dozen in 12 different major cities. Now the CEO, she’s been managing her own books for years, which wasn’t an easy task for a single store, and now she has 12. She has to collect data from each store and merge it to monitor the health of her entire company.We created a few mini-macros to perform the following tasks:. Collect and combine the data from her 12 stores into one workbook in a Master three-dimensional spreadsheet. Organize and sort the data. Enter the formulas that calculate the combined data.Once the mini-macros are recorded, tested, and perfected, we can merge them into one big macro or leave them as mini-macros. Either way, keep the mini-macros, because it’s much easier and more efficient to edit the smaller macros and re-combine them, than try to step through a long, detailed macro to find errors.We’ve provided a sample workbook for the above scenario so you can follow along with our how-to.
Feel free to create your own spreadsheet too, of course. This sample Excel workbook will help you practice creating and using macros. JD Sartain Prep work: The Master spreadsheetIf you’re building your spreadsheets from the ground up, start with the Master spreadsheet. Enter the date formula in A1 and the store location in B1. See screen shot below.Enter this date formula in cell A1: =Today.
Now this cell always displays today’s date. Be sure; however, that your store location (branch name and number) are entered in B1.2. Leave row 2 blank. Once the static data and initial dynamic data are entered, we’ll use row 2 for the totals. This might seem like a strange custom, but for macro spreadsheets, it’s the best way because this row is stationary and always visible.3. Next, enter the field names (and/or any other field-specific information) in row 3 (e.g., from A3 through J3, or however many fields your spreadsheet requires).Tip: You can text-wrap the information in the individual cells if the data is lengthy.
For example, you can put the store contact information all in one cell and wrap the lines. Press Alt+ Enter to insert extra lines in the cells.4.
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Next, enter the static data in column A. That is the record information in your spreadsheet that rarely changes.
If your business uses product numbers or ID codes, which are unique because there is only one code per product, enter those in column A beginning on row 4 (don’t skip to row 5). Other static data fields might include the Product Description, the Product Price, sales tax percentage, etc.Do not skip rows or leave any rows blank for column A. Every row must contain the unique field’s data—if not a product code, then some other unique identifier. We do this for two reasons:.
Column A is the main navigational column. The macro moves and navigates through the spreadsheet based on the Home (A1) position and column A. The macro will fail if you ignore this rule, because blank rows disrupt the actions of the directional keys. If you decide to create multiple/relational tables later for Pivot Reports, you must have a unique, key field to connect the related tables.
Check out our for more information.JD Sartain / IDG WorldwideBuild the Master spreadsheet first.5. Normally, the Product Description resides in column B, the Quantity Sold in column C, Product Price in column D, Extended Cost in E, Discounts in F, Sales Tax in G, and Totals in H. The column totals are across the top on row 2, remember? Format the column widths based on the length of the field names, and adjust the row height to 20 on all rows. Change the Top/Bottom alignment to Center, select the justification you prefer (left, right, center), and then format the spreadsheet “styles” to your preference.6.
Once the master database is set up, do not move anything. If you need to add fields, use the Insert Column command. For example, if you wanted to add a second sales tax, position your cursor anywhere on column H (Totals) and click the tab: Home Insert Insert Sheet Columns. The new column drops in to become the new H column, and the Totals column moves over to I. This process does not affect the macro.7. The same process applies to rows. Normally I would caution you to insert rows “inside” the active database area.
For example, if the formula says =SUM(B3:B20) and you insert or use a row outside of the formula’s range like B21, the new record’s data is not included in the formula and therefore, does not calculate.8. Now we’ll set up that formula range.
Microsoft Excel is a great application for you to keep your data organized and working for you, but all those numbers can sometimes get unwieldy when scattered over too many spreadsheets. Fortunately, you have a few built-in options that make it easy to combine Excel spreadsheets into single files or even single pages.
The tools below are powerful enough to meet most users’ needs – though if you find yourself trying to deal with hundreds of spreadsheets, you may want to look into using macros or Visual Basic.Related: Copy and PasteThis method sounds almost laughably simple, but don’t dismiss it too quickly. If you just need to move data between a few spreadsheets, this is the fastest and simplest way – though it is impractical for large-scale jobs. Excel’s copy-paste options don’t come in just one flavor, either! When you copy your data and go to paste it, right-click on where you want to paste and check out the “Paste Special” options. Here are a few of the most useful.
Values/Formulas: If you have a numeric cell that is calculated using a formula, you can choose to either copy only the value, or you can keep the formula. The default copy-paste option in Excel keeps the formula.Transpose: Changes the rows to columns and the columns to rows. This can be very helpful if, for example, you’ve received spreadsheets from people with different ideas about where the labels should go.Paste Link: This is a handy feature when combining data from multiple sources.
This will link the pasted cell to the source cell, whether the source is in the same workbook or somewhere else. Whenever the source is updated, the pasted cell is updated as well, so if you’re looking to combine data from spreadsheets into a continuously-updated master sheet, you can use this paste function to easily link the cells. Use the “Move or Copy” feature to combine workbooksIf you’re working with more than a few workbooks/worksheets, copy-pasting will get old fast. Luckily, Excel has a built-in feature that will move worksheets between workbooks.1. Open the workbook you want to move sheets into and the workbooks you want to move sheets from.
Excel requires both the source and the destination workbook to be open to move worksheets. The example below shows them both on the same screen using the “View Side by Side” option.2.
Right-click on one of the sheets you want to move, and when the menu opens, click the “Move or Copy” button.3. The menu should show you a dropdown list of all the open spreadsheets. Select one to be your destination. Choose if you want your sheet to be at the beginning, end, or somewhere in the middle of the destination workbook’s existing worksheets. Don’t ignore the “Create a copy” checkbox! If you don’t check it, your sheet will be deleted from your source workbook.4. Check your destination workbook.
The moved or copied worksheet should appear with the same name as in the source workbook, but may have a (2) or another number after it if there is a duplicate name in the destination.Related: Use the Consolidate feature to combine worksheetsThe Consolidate feature is a very flexible way to push multiple worksheets into one. The best thing about it is that it automatically detects and organizes your row and column labels and merges identical cells from different sheets.1.
Create a new workbook or worksheet for your consolidated data, then open the source worksheets.2. Open the new spreadsheet and go to the “Consolidate” button in the “Data” tab.3. Notice that there are several functions listed here. Each function will combine cells with the same labels in different ways — sum, average, keep the minimum/maximum value, etc.4. The boxes below the functions ask you where it should find your labels.
If you have labels in your topmost row or leftmost column, check the appropriate boxes. Otherwise, your spreadsheets will just mash themselves together like a copy-paste.5.
The “Create links to source data” box will have the cells in your destination spreadsheet reference the ones in your source spreadsheets so that the data will automatically update.6. Hitting the “Browse” button opens your file explorer. Select the spreadsheet you want to consolidate.7. Click the “Reference” button and open the spreadsheet you just selected. Here you can highlight the data you want to merge.8. Hit the Enter key and then the “Add” button.
This should put the selected data into a merge list.9. Repeat the above steps for as many worksheets/workbooks as you want to combine.10. Click “OK” to combine the selected data into your new spreadsheet and check that it worked correctly. ConclusionThese methods combine a user-friendly interface with a decent amount of power.
There aren’t many jobs that these three tools, in some combination, won’t be able to tackle, and they don’t require any experimentation with VB code or macros. As with all things in Excel, though, it helps quite a bit if your data is well-organized before you start — name your workbooks and worksheets logically, check that your rows and columns are laid out the way you want, and make sure your references line up!Image credit: by DepositPhotos.