Seeing What Changed in a PivotTable

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 3, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365


When Guy refreshes a PivotTable, he wonders if there is any way to highlight the values that changed as a result of the refreshing.

There is no capability to do this within Excel itself. Since a PivotTable is an aggregation of source data, it is subject to change as that source data changes. In this way it is similar in behavior to a regular formula within Excel—change the data on which the formula is based, and the results of the formula change. The difference, of course, is that the formula changes automatically as the source data changes, and the PivotTable must be updated through user action. In neither case, however, is a modified result indicated in the workbook.

The obvious way around this is to save your data before doing an update. That way you'll have your original, pre-update values to compare with your after-update values. With a PivotTable, you can select the entire table, press Ctrl+C, and paste the values into a new worksheet. You can then refresh the PivotTable and, on the pasted data, use conditional formats to compare the values to what is now in the PivotTable.

The only drawback to this approach, of course, is that the comparison becomes more complex if the refreshing modifies the structure of the PivotTable, such as adding or removing rows or columns.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (13348) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365.

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

Dragging to Clear Cells

If you want to get rid of the contents of a range of cells, a quick way to do it is with the Fill handle. Yes, you can ...

Discover More

Printing via Macro without Messages

When you are printing a document, it is not unusual to see messages (dialog boxes) periodically. When you want the ...

Discover More

Strange Message about Others Making Changes in a Workbook

Have you ever tried to save a workbook, only to be notified that someone else has made changes in it? What if you are the ...

Discover More

Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Missing PivotTable Data

Wonder what happened to the data behind a PivotTable? It could be in a number of places, and tracking it down could be a ...

Discover More

Suppressing Zero Values in PivotTables

PivotTables are great for digesting and analyzing huge amounts of data. But what if you want part of that data excluded, ...

Discover More

Pointing PivotTables to Different Data

Changing the data source PivotTables go to can be a bit tricky. This tip explains what can happen when you re-point your ...

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 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


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.