How To Merge Two Tables In Excel

By Author: Myong Milner
Total Articles: 5
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Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program that comes standard with the Microsoft Office Suite. Being a spreadsheet program, it is extremely useful for managing information into standalone rows and columns. However, getting information into the Excel spreadsheet can be a time-consuming process. As Excel operates using cells, entering information can be slow since the correct cell must be chosen each time information is entered. A list of information may all show up within one cell rather than down a list of cells. Excel is also useful for creating tables of data. The spreadsheet layout of Excel is very useful for structuring data in rows and columns as a table. These tables allow for very swift analysis of data.
One method of joining data within an Excel spreadsheet is through the use of formulas. Formulas are commands that can be entered into a cell in a spreadsheet to produce a specified result. For example, if cell A1 has the number 1 and cell A2 contains the number 2, then entering ‘ =SUM(A1:A2) ‘ in cell A3 will yield ...
... a result of 3. Likewise, moving data can be done using formulas. Let's imagine a situation where a single sentence has been broken up word by word from cell A1 down to A3. To list this text in a row instead of a column in cell A4 can be done by entering in the formula ‘ =A1&A2&A3 ‘. There are additional formulas for rearranging data in alternate formats. The difficulty occurs in trying to memorize all the different formulas that allow for data rearrangement.
A huge productivity boost can be found through a quick stop at http://www.hothotsoftware.com/excel_join_two_tables_lists_software/. Simply searching for ‘How to Combine Tables in an Excel spreadsheet' yields a program specifically created to meet your Excel file needs. The program is actually written to work within the Excel spreadsheet program itself, also known as a plugin. This means that upon opening Microsoft Excel, you will see the application displayed within a tab in the ribbon bar at the top of the Excel window. The tab that contains the plugin will say ‘Add-Ins'. The plugin will be listed as ‘Excel Join Merge or Match Two Tables'. After clicking the plugin, a new window will be visible. This window uses a classic user interface that allows even a basic computer user to understand and master the software in a short amount of time. This new window displays the commands to combine tables of data together. First, select the initial table of data that you want to modify. Then choose the second table of data that you want to combine with the first. Click ‘Next' and a new screen will be visible. In this screen you must determine which data sets are common between the tables. For instance, if you are using two tables made up of employee ID numbers and one contains the employee name and the other table has the employee's role, the common element is the employee ID. Then, click ‘Next' and one more screen will appear. In this window you can select how the ending table should be shown. You can choose to keep all the rows, only matching rows, and even which columns to include. Then, just click ‘Finish' and your organized table will appear in the spreadsheet.
To find out more about this software, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt8y5HDfeR8. Data listed in an Excel spreadsheet is very useful for analysis. Utilize this program to rearrange that information into an organized Excel table to allow for better analysis.