Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Working with Record Numbers.

Working with Record Numbers

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 3, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021


1

For some data tables in Excel, you may want to assign a record number to cells in a particular column. For instance, you might want record numbers for 20 different records, ranging between 1 and 20 or between 100 and 119. It doesn't really matter to Excel what range you select. How you go about setting up the record numbers depends on what you want to later do with them.

If you want the record numbers to be static—that is, they are always assigned to a particular record and never change—then you should use the AutoFill feature of Excel to assign the numbers. To do this, simply enter all your data except the record numbers. Then type in the first two or three record numbers, select them, and drag on the AutoFill handle (the black square at the bottom-right corner of the selection) to fill out the rest of the records.

Using this approach is fast and easy, but it does make the record numbers static. For instance, if you delete the record that has a record number of 107, then that particular record number is gone, and your numbers will show a gap, jumping from 106 to 108.

If you want dynamic record numbers—ones that change as you make deletions—then you can use a formula to calculate the record numbers. You could put the first record number in, for instance, cell A5, and then in the next cell down you would use a formula such as =A5+1 to calculate the new record number.

This still presents a problem, however, because if you delete a record, all the record numbers below the one you deleted will show an error (#REF!). Why? Because you delete a cell on which the next cell down was dependent. A better solution is to use a record number formula that is dependent on the row in which the formula is located. For instance, let's assume your first record is in row 5. You could use this formula to generate a range of record numbers starting with 100:

=ROW()+95

Now, if you delete a record, the remaining record numbers readjust themselves and you don't end up with any errors.

If you use this approach, you'll want to make sure that you don't delete any rows above those rows that contain your records, as doing so will cause your record numbers to be incorrect. For instance, if you use the above formula and you delete row 3, your first row for records becomes row 4, so your first record number becomes 99. (Remember that you wanted them to start with 100, so this is now incorrect!)

To head off this potential error, change your first formula (in cell A5) to the following:

=ROWS($A$4:$A5)+98

Note that this formula doesn't use the ROW function, but the ROWS function. The ROWS function returns the number of rows in the range specified. In this case, it returns the value 2, which is added to 98, giving the desired record number of 100. Plus, if you delete any rows before row 4, your formula still works. You can copy the formula from A5 down as far as necessary, and you should end up with the proper record numbers in all the cells.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12402) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Working with Record Numbers.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Determining the Current Directory

When creating macros, it is often necessary to know which directory is the default. Here's how you can find out by using ...

Discover More

Rotating Fractions in a Text Box

Rotating graphics in Word is not always straight-forward, but it can be done. This tip examines a special need to ...

Discover More

Problem with Missing Context Menu Option

When you right-click a cell, does it seem that the Context menu is missing an item or two? Here's how to get those items ...

Discover More

Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Freezing the Top Three Rows

Excel allows you to freeze rows or columns in your worksheet so that they don't scroll. How you freeze them can be a bit ...

Discover More

Working in Feet and Inches

Your chosen occupation may require that you work with linear distances in feet and inches. Excel can do this, to a ...

Discover More

Viewing More than Two Places in a Worksheet

If your worksheet gets big enough, it is easy to spend a lot of time navigating back and forth between different areas. ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is seven minus 7?

2022-12-03 11:04:56

J. Woolley

As stated in the Tip, this formula does not work if row 4 is deleted:
=ROWS($A$4:$A5)+98
In general, it fails if the row immediately above record number 100 is deleted no matter how many rows were previously inserted or deleted above record number 100.
Here is a better formula:
=ROWS($A$5:$A5)+99
Here is the equivalent formula:
=ROWS($5:5)+99


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.