Refreshing PivotTable data in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

Sales data for different fruits over two periods. This data is the source for a PivotTable summarizing total sales by product.

Cell	Value
A1	Product
B1	Sales
A2	Apples
B2	100
A3	Oranges
B3	150
A4	Bananas
B4	120
A5	Apples
B5	130
A6	Oranges
B6	170
A7	Bananas
B7	110

Formula Trace

PivotTable refresh (no direct formula, action to update PivotTable data)

Step 1: Original PivotTable shows totals based on data in A1:B7

Step 2: User changes B3 from 150 to 180 (Oranges sales updated)

Step 3: User clicks 'Refresh' on PivotTable

Step 4: PivotTable now shows: Apples=230, Oranges=350, Bananas=230

Cell Reference Map

     A       B
  +-------+-------+
1 |Product| Sales |
  +-------+-------+
2 |Apples |  100  |
3 |Oranges|  150  | <-- changed to 180
4 |Bananas|  120  |
5 |Apples |  130  |
6 |Oranges|  170  |
7 |Bananas|  110  |

PivotTable reads this range A1:B7 for data.

The PivotTable uses the data in cells A1:B7 as its source. The sales value in B3 is updated from 150 to 180 before refreshing.

Result

PivotTable Summary:
+---------+-------+
| Product | Total |
+---------+-------+
| Apples  |  230  |
| Oranges |  350  | <-- updated after refresh
| Bananas |  230  |
+---------+-------+

After refreshing, the PivotTable updates the total sales for Oranges to 350, reflecting the changed data.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What happens if you change the source data but do NOT refresh the PivotTable?

A PivotTable shows updated totals automatically

B PivotTable deletes all data

C PivotTable shows old totals before refresh

D PivotTable crashes Excel

Key Result

Refreshing a PivotTable updates its summary to match the current source data values.