Excel has become an integral part of businesses around the world as it allows organizations to manage, analyze and present data effectively. But one important feature in Excel that many people are unaware of is the use of Slicer. Slicer is an advanced filtering tool in Excel that allows users to filter data with a visual interface. In this article, we will discuss the usage of Slicer in Microsoft Excel, its benefits, and some frequently asked questions.
What is Slicer in Excel?
Slicer is a user-friendly filtering tool in Excel that helps analyze data accurately. It enables users to filter pivot tables and pivot charts while offering an interactive and intuitive graphical interface that enhances the overall user experience. In other words, Slicer in Excel helps users control groups of items to show in connected pivot tables and pivot charts.
How to Use Slicer in Excel?
Now, let’s dive into how to use Slicer in Excel. Follow the steps below:
- Select the range of cells you want to use as a source for the pivot table.
- Go to the Insert tab, click on the PivotTable drop-down, and select PivotTable.
- Select where you want to place your Pivot table and click OK.
- Ensure that you have defined your row and column headings correctly.
- Click on the pivot table that you created and go to the Analyze tab in the ribbon.
- Click on the Insert Slicer option.
- Choose which fields you want to slice from the pop-up window and click OK.
- The Slicer for the selected fields will appear on the worksheet. To filter data, select any of the values in Slicer, and the Pivot table and chart will update automatically.
Benefits of Using Slicer
The benefits of using Slicer in Microsoft Excel are plenty, and some of them include:
- Visual Representation: This feature creates an interactive and intuitive interface that helps users to filter and control their data visually.
- Flexibility: Slicer allows users to slice and dice data using different fields, thereby giving them the flexibility to analyze data from different angles.
- Multiple Pivot Tables: Slicer enables users to connect multiple pivot tables, allowing them to analyze data from various data sources or varying data types quickly.
- Easy to Use: This feature is easy to insert, and users do not require much technical experience to start using it.
Inserting Multiple Slicers
You can use multiple Slicers to filter data in Excel and connect them by hiding the unwanted fields. In this section, we will show you how to insert multiple Slicers and connect them.
- Click on the Pivot table you created.
- Go to the Analyze tab, click on Insert Slicer option, and select the field that you want to connect.
- Repeat step 2 for any other field you want to add as a Slicer.
- Once you have inserted all the Slicers, you can hide the unwanted values by right-clicking and selecting the Hide Button or by unchecking the unwanted items in the Slicer drop-down menu.
FAQ on Slicer
1. What are the best scenarios to use a Slicer in Excel?
Slicer is handy when dealing with large data sets in excel. It enables users to filter large datasets with ease and accuracy. Slicer becomes more useful when using a Pivot Table, tracking changes over time or shifting trends, comparing sets of data, and summarizing or consolidating data from various sources.
2. How can I customize the Slicer in Microsoft Excel?
One way to customize Slicer in Excel is to change the colors. Just select any item in the Slicer and go to the Slicer Tools Options tab. From there, choose your preferred color from the provided options, or you can apply a custom color.
Video Tutorial
For those who prefer video tutorials, check out this video on how to use Slicer in Microsoft Excel:
Conclusion
Slicer in Excel is an essential feature that offers many benefits to users. It is a useful tool when it comes to data analysis and allows users to filter and control data visually. It is easy to use and requires little to no technical knowledge. Now that you know how to use a Slicer in Excel and its benefits, you will be better equipped to manipulate and analyze data in your organization.
