XL: Label Missing from Upper-Left Corner of Consolidation Table

ID: Q175851

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

If you use the Consolidate command to summarize data from two or more worksheets, the label may be missing from the upper-left corner of the consolidation table. For example, the table may appear as follows 

             Number
   Alpha     5
   Bravo     7
   Charlie   9
instead of: 

   Name      Number
   Alpha     5
   Bravo     7
   Charlie   9

CAUSE

This problem occurs when you create the consolidation table and you select both the Top Row and Left Column check boxes under "Use labels in" in the Consolidate dialog box.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, follow these steps:

1. Select the consolidation table.

2. On the Data menu, click Consolidate.

3. Click to clear both the Top Row check box and the Left Column check 

   box. Then, click OK.
4. On the Data menu, click Consolidate. Click to select the Top Row check 
   box, and then click OK.
5. On the Data menu, click Consolidate. Click to select the Left Column 
   check box, and then click OK.
The label should appear correctly in the upper-left corner of the consolidation table.

To prevent this problem from occurring when you create a new consolidation table, select only one of the two check boxes (Top Row or Left Column) when you create the table. Then, click Consolidate on the Data menu, select the other check box, and then click OK.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

The Consolidate feature in Microsoft Excel allows you summarize data from multiple, identically arranged tables. To see an example that uses the Consolidate feature and demonstrates problem described in the "Symptoms" section in this article, follow these steps:

1. In Microsoft Excel, create a new workbook. Enter the following values 

   in the specified worksheets:

      Sheet1                     Sheet2
      ------------------------   ------------------------

      A1: Name      B1: Number   A1: Name      B1: Number
      A2: Alpha     B2: 1        A2: Alpha     B2: 4
      A3: Bravo     B3: 2        A3: Bravo     B3: 5
      A4: Charlie   B4: 3        A4: Charlie   B4: 6
2. Click Sheet3, and then select cell A1.

3. On the Data menu, click Consolidate. In the Consolidate dialog box, 

   follow these steps:

    a. Click Sheet1. Select the cell range A1:B4. Click Add.

    b. Click Sheet2. Select the cell range A1:B4. Click Add.

    c. Click to select both the Top Row and the Left Column check boxes in
       the dialog box.

    d. Click OK.
The following consolidation table is created in Sheet3: 

   A1:           B1: Number
   A2: Alpha     B2: 5
   A3: Bravo     B3: 7
   A4: Charlie   B4: 9
Note that the values in the table (5, 7, 9) are the sums of the respective values in cells B2, B3, and B4 in the tables in Sheet1 (1, 2, 3) and Sheet2 (4, 5, 6).

Note also that the label "Name" is missing from cell A1. If you follow the steps in the "Workaround" section, the missing label appears correctly, for example: 

   A1: Name      B1: Number
   A2: Alpha     B2: 5
   A3: Bravo     B3: 7
   A4: Charlie   B4: 9
Additional query words: XL5 XL7 XL97 5.00a 5.00c 7.00a 
Keywords          : xllist 
Version           : MACINTOSH:5.0,5.0a,98; WINDOWS:5.0,5.0c,7.0,7.0a,97
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: January 8, 1999