Module 4 · Tables and rules that keep a sheet correct Lesson 10 of 15

Structured tables and named ranges

The concept

Names travel: =Table1[amount] says what it sums, whereas =SUM(B2:B50) says where to look. A reviewer six months later can read the first and not the second.

Tables also carry the formatting and the filter, so you stop reapplying borders after every paste and the sheet stays tidy because you no longer touch it.

SpreadsheetCopy

Ctrl+T  ->  "My table has headers"  ->  Table Design -> name it Table1

=SUM(Table1[amount])
=COUNTA(Table1[id])
=SUMIFS(Table1[amount], Table1[city], $H$1)

# A plain range misses new rows; a table does not.

Worked example

=SUM(Table1[amount]) still works after you type a new row, while =SUM(B2:B50) silently misses row 51 - the bug that makes a report look right and be wrong.

Your practice task

Convert one of your sheets to a Table, rename it, and rewrite three formulas to use the table's column names.

Do this before moving on. Reading a solution teaches the shape of it; typing it teaches you.

Key takeaway

Names travel: =Table1[amount] says what it sums, whereas =SUM(B2:B50) says where to look.

Almost there

15 lessons left of 15

Finish every lesson to unlock the certificate. Each one ends in a practice task — do them and the final project brief writes itself.

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