Slicers are my new favorite feature in Excel. Introduced in Excel 2010, Slicers are like visual filters.
A simple example of slicers:
Let us say you have a sales report (pivot) for multiple salespersons. Since you want to show the report by one person at a time, you used report filters in pivot tables to display this. But you find that switching between regions is a pain using the report filter.
Enter slicers.
Now, you can just click the region name to show the report for that region, like this:
Using Slicers to Switch between Scenarios Dynamically:
Now, we can use slicers creatively to make an interactive scenario manager in Excel, some thing like this:
This technique gives the same outcome as the Display and Select Scenarios using VBA article, but easier to implement
How to use slicers to switch between scenarios?
Step 1: Set up various scenarios in a table
You need to define various scenarios in a table, like this:
Step 2: Create a pivot table from your scenario data
Select the table you created in step 1 and insert a pivot table. Use variable name as row label and variable value in value field area.
Step 3: Insert a slicer for the scenarios
Select anywhere inside the pivot. Now, from options tab, click on Insert Slicer button. Click on Scenarios field to insert a slicer.
Step 4: Create your model, in our case a break-even model
I will skip the explanation of model creation as that is not relevant here.
Once the model is set up, just refer to the pivot table for each of the variable values.
Step 5: Move slicer to Model
Go to the pivot table worksheet and Select the slicer, click CTRL+X to cut it.
Go back to your model worksheet and paste the slicer.
Step 6: Format the slicer
Excel slicers by default show an option to remove the filtered slicer. You can get rid of this button by,
1) Right click on the slicer
2) Go to slicer settings
3) Un-check Display Header option
See aside.
Step 7: Use the slicer to interactively switch scenarios
That is all, our smart scenario switching slicer is ready. Now, you can extend this in many ways. For example, you can write some clever formulas to handle selection of multiple slicers. You can compare between one scenario and another when more than one option is chosen from the slicer. So much more is possible. But I will let your imagination run wild.
Download Example Excel File:
I have made a simple example to demonstrate this technique.
Please download the file and open it in Excel 2010.
Examine the worksheets “Scenario Pivot” and “Model” to understand how the slicer is setup and how this works.
Do you slice?
As I said, Slicers are my new favorite feature in Excel. I have been using them as much as possible because they are simple to use and very powerful.
What about you? Do you slice often? What is your experience like? Please share your ideas and tips using comments.
More examples on Slicers & Pivot Tables:
1) Creating a Dynamic Dashboard in Excel using Slicers
2) Creating a Dynamic Chart using Pivot Table Report Filters
3) Remove Duplicates and Sort a list using Pivot Tables
4) More on Pivot Tables & Modeling
11 Responses
Ciao Hui,
Collecting Excel tricks under the title “Notable Excel Websites (Non-MVP) Edition” is a brilliant idea…
Thank you in the name of all The FrankensTeam.
On our site there is a box with a picture and text highlighting:
This is a no-MVP site
we think ourselves “bad boys” a bit 🙂
For those who would like to know why our site is a no-MVP site, enough to click on the link:
http://goo.gl/lxDszY
Thank you again!
Thanks a lot
I really enjoyed this (newsletter). I must admit that I rarely read an Excel newsletter (and I subscribe to quite a few) all the way though, but this grabbed my attention and before I realized it, I was engrossed in it. I must also admit that most of this I don’t understand, yet. But, it excites me when I do learn something new in Excel. I can’t wait to see how much of this I can implement into my (constantly-evolving) ‘House Budget’ & ‘Family Medical’ worksheets that I have developed over the past few years! I sure hope to see more of these type of newsletters in the future! Thanks!
Thanks for doing this Hui! I appreciate being included.
I like Tom’s tip a lot. I posted about a tool I wrote to automate this at http://yoursumbuddy.com/tables-edit-query-dialog/
EXCELLENT !
Hui, This post is Superb! More over I have always been a fan of Roberto’s work and have learnt a lot from him.
Here are some of my recent contributions
1. Customising markers in a chart – http://www.goodly.co.in/customize-markers-in-a-chart/
2. Charting Hacks to work faster – http://www.goodly.co.in/5-charting-hacks-to-help-you-work-faster/
3. 7 Date formulas to make life easy – http://www.goodly.co.in/date-formulas-in-excel/
4. Customised scrollbar using VBA – http://www.goodly.co.in/customized-scroll-bar-in-excel/
5. Adding Direct Legends – http://www.goodly.co.in/customized-scroll-bar-in-excel/
Hope everyone enjoys!
I like the Excel Ninja Menus.
1. Select a cell or range then move till the 4-way cross appears. Right-Click and drag the selection to another place in the worksheet then, like a ninja, a menu full of skills and throwing stars pops up allowing me to do all kinds of awesomeness.
2. When you click the fill box on a Date and right click and drag it down, a lot of amazing Date options pop up.
I also brand my Excel to remind myself that I’m awesome. In my personal macro workbook I place the following code.
Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Application.Caption = “SuperKrishna’s Awesomeness”
End Sub
My favorite tip goes along with #17. If you try to copy subtotaled data (and in earlier Excel versions filtered data),when you paste it all the data displays instead of just the summarized data.
To get around this, select your summarized data, click on Find and Select tab and then select Go to Special. Click Visible cells Only and click OK. Now paste and you will see that only the summarized data has been copied.
You can also go CTRL+G and then click the Special icon at the bottom of the dialog box.
What a great idea, Chandoo! I’d love to be included in your next edition:) Perhaps a VBA exclusive version?
@Ryan
I will review this concept about 6 months out from the original post and be sure to keep your site in mind
Hui…
That sounds great, Hui:) I just realized I gave credit to Chandoo for the idea and I should have attributed it to you.
Sorry about that!