How can I have multiple pivot tables in same sheet? - google-sheets

I have a big sheet with quite a lot of info that keeps growing over time. Based on that, I have created several pivot tables that do some calculations and rankings.
Every ranking keeps growing, so pivot tables may contain 10 rows now, but can grow up to 20 or 30 rows.
I managed to insert several pivot tables in the same sheet and now it looks well, with every ranking after the next one. However, if I add multiple rows, the pivot tables grow and start overlapping, so after a while the ones below start disappearing in favour of the first ones.
Is there a way to have multiple pivot tables in the same sheet with a fixed number of rows among them, preventing them from overlapping?
If you want to 'play' with the data, I created a sample in https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MVX3tp6GIqVX6hTyk6TsCxV7YngiMpi7E8oSxa7a9ck/edit?usp=sharing. It is just a ranking on races, where I want to track the best times on different legs. Then it has a second sheet 'rankings' in which I have different pivot tables, one for each leg.

HOw's this for a single formula solution that will scale infinitely in users or legs:
=ARRAYFORMULA(QUERY(SPLIT(FLATTEN(results!A2:A&"|Best of "&results!D1:1&"|"&OFFSET(results!D2,,,ROWS(results!D2:D),COLUMNS(results!D1:1))),"|",0,0),"Select Col2,Col1,MIN(Col3) where Col1<>'' and Col2<>'Best of ' group by Col1,Col2 order by Col2, MIN(Col3) label MIN(Col3)'Best', Col1'User',Col2''"))
You'll find it in cell B1 on the new tab in your sample called MK.Idea
I should mention that FLATTEN() is an undocumented function that I only recently discovered. I've believe it is intended to remain "hidden" in the back end of the sheets programming, but if what I did is what you're after, there really isn't a more efficient way to do it. I've spoken with an engineer at Google who was surprised it existed as well and told me there were no plans to deprecate it, so here's hoping! For a demo of what it does generally, you can see my sample here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/196NDPUZ-p2sPiiiYlYsJeHD6F_eJq7CWO_hP7rFqGpc/edit?usp=sharing

Spreadsheets and Pivot Tables are marvelous tools for data analysis but they aren't too friendly for creating reports and dashboards, if you are open, to recommendations try Google Data Studio (it includes pivot tables too --> https://support.google.com/datastudio/answer/7516660?hl=en)
Let say that you don't have time to learn another app or you just prefer to keep using spreadsheets, in this case it will be required to implement a workaround.
First, bear in mind that Pivot Tables don't actually overlap, instead an error message is shown:
Solution: insert some rows/columns to give enough room to the Pivot Table to be expanded.
NOTE: You could do this in advance by including a "safe zone" (meaning blank rows /columns) around the pivot tables. You could hide/unhide this "safe zone" as needed.
If you don't want to do the above manually, I think that it should be possible to use an on edit trigger of Google Apps Script to detect that pivot tables are shown and insert new rows/columns to avoid this. If the Pivot Table top left cell returns #REF! your script could use a do.. while or a while to insert the required rows or columns. An smart algorithm will read the Pivot Table settings to calculate the required rows and columns and then insert the required rows / columns in one pass.
Related
Pivot table with Google Script

Related

How to link 3 columns together in Google sheets

I have 3 columns in a Google sheets tab.
Two of the columns are fed into from another tab (Sheet1) by the formulas =Sheet1!A2:A and =Sheet1!B2:B.
I am facing a problem when the 2 columns from sheet1 are sorted, the third column from sheet2 does not stay aligned with the other two and throws off my entire sheet's analysis. Is there a way to link the 3 columns together so when I sort from sheet1, all 3 columns from sheet2 are sorted and not just the first 2 that are being fed into from sheet1?
The short answer is that you can't. Sheets is not a relational database in which rows between sheets will remain linked.
What you can do is to work everything in a Master sheet so everything is sort together, or continue with your system but never "really" sorting your Sheet1. Instead, in any of both cases, you can use Filter Views. Filter views affect the way each user sees the information without altering the other users' views. That way you could just hide columns in Filter View in a single Master Sheet and everyone works in just one sheet; or "sort" the Master Sheet only when you're inside the Filter View, so the connected data always remain in the same rows.
I suggest you consider this possibility. Other ways are via scripts, which could be a headache by implementing it, always syncing and checking every kind of modification, sorting issue and more. Hope it's useful! There are many tutorials and documentation online; here you have just one as example

Preventing API edits from breaking arrayformula columns

I have a Google Sheet that I'm using as a database for a an app I am building in AppSmith. Really just an interface for people to work with the sheet in a controlled manner.
I'm using the Google Sheet because I'm familiar with layering formulas to make it work the way I want it to work. I have a number of columns that start with an ARRAYFORMULA that gives the name of the column in row 1, blank in blank rows that should be blank, and some programmed information in other rows.
This works great as long as I am working from the spreadsheet or reading/adding rows from the app.
However, when I try to edit the row from the app, the API update will take the "50" that it sees in the column and actually put "50" in the cell, breaking the arrayformula.
Is there any way to prevent API calls from actually editing that column? Or to automatically clear the cell and let the arrayformula expand again?
I found a temporary workaround to push "" for the column(s) I know are arrays, but it seems vulnerable to complications if I add other array columns later, or want to make another form in the app that also updates the sheet.
As a "rule of thumb", avoid having formulas on sheets being used as "databases" (top row used for field names, 2nd row and below used for data). If you really need to use formulas in the spreadsheet instead of doing the calculations on the "APP", add them on a "mirror" sheet.
This is a common recommendation when using ARRAYFORMULAS to do calculations with data comming from Google Forms.
If you think that creating a "mirror" sheet might cause more problems than benefits, if your "APP" is able to limit the number of columns being edited, put the formulas to the right of the last column linked to the app.
Related
Make Google Spreadsheet Formula Repeat Infinitely

Adding to a cells value based on two other cells

I'm wondering how I would go about adding to a cell based on two other cells.
For example, I'm creating a Google Sheets document to track profit & loss on certain things in an online game I play.
I'll try to explain this as best as possible.
If cell B71 is equal to the string in cell B7, increase the value in cell D71 equal to the number in cell D7.
However, the values will need to be compared to various other things depending on the item required.
For example, the string in cell B7 might change depending on what specific type of item is needed for that day as it does change daily.
I have cells near the bottom of the sheet which list the different type of item which will show the total amount of items used in that month.
I've tried to explain this a little better as requested below
I'm trying to make a spreadsheet that keeps track of the quantity of a specific item I use in a game for a daily task. This task can be done daily, and to keep track of profit & loss, I have created a spreadsheet to keep track of this.
So, each day, there are three different types of items (runes) that can be used in the machine to create an item called 'Vis Wax'. As Runes are cheap, creating the vis wax can generate a good profit. (I love working with data, hense the spreadsheet.
The image above shows what a daily section looks like. I input each type of rune (has to be 3), input the quantity used and the amount each rune is worth to create the total cost under Total.
Further down below, this table has been created
This will keep track of each rune and the amount used during that month.
So with that said, I'm looking for a solution so that if Air rune is entered in ANY of them slots with the QUANTITY used, it'll update that table accordinly (as well as the other runes that are used too). I've tried nested IF statements, but don't seem to have any luck. With the amount of checks that seem to be happening, I can't seem to find a working solution. As Air Rune might be in slot 1 one day, then slot 3 the next day. So it seems each cell in the Quantity Table will need to compare EACH cell in the daily section, to each rune type that can be used.
Hopefully that has explained it a little better.
Spreadsheet Link
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sYLpZJ46IpNk52gxMoJOIZsOCWToLkC4FF83RBncCf0/edit?usp=sharing
I would suggest you to use a different structure and take all the data from one day in one column, something like this:
In this way you will be able to extend the days keeping the formulas in a really simple way. Below, I will explain some useful formulas that you can use to lighten your work:
Day: =text(DAY(B2),"dddd")
Rune type: Check Data validation to create a drop-down list of your rune types
For counting how many runes have you used you can use SUMIFS function. It returns the sum of a range depending on multiple criteria. In your case, you need apply it three time per rune, as you can have the same rune in three different places. You see it with the following image:
The formula is: =SUMIFS($B$8:$H$8,$B$7:$H$7,A25) + SUMIFS($B$12:$H$12,$B$11:$H$11,A25) + SUMIFS($B$16:$H$16,$B$15:$H$15,A25). In this way you only need to write it once and you can fill the rest of the runes just dragging the mouse. If you need more days just change the column H with the last column that you want to take.
I assume that with all this information you can also keep track of your monthly statics easily. I suggest you to create a different sheet for each month.
I hope that my answer was useful, let me know if you have any doubt.
George, I agree with #fullfine, your data structure does not seem ideal for data analysis. And it doesn't seem that efficient for data entry either, with the sideways scrolling (at least on my screen).
But I recognise that you might not want to change it, perhaps having specific reasons for that layout, and having invested time in it. So I offer this formula as an alternative, which basically pulls the needed cells from your existing sheet, and comes up with the totals you'll need.
=QUERY(QUERY({B7:D9;G7:I9;L7:N9;Q7:S9;V7:X9;AA7:AC9;AF7:AH9;
B20:D22;G20:I22;L20:N22;Q20:S22;V20:X22;AA20:AC22;AF20:AH22;
B33:D35;G33:I35;L33:N35;Q33:S35;V33:X35;AA33:AC35;AF33:AH35;
B46:D48;G46:I48;L46:N48;Q46:S48;V46:X48;AA46:AC48;AF46:AH48;
B59:D61;G59:I61;L59:N61},
"select Col1, Col2, Col3*Col2 where Col1 <>'' order by Col1 label Col3*Col2 '' ",0),
"select Col1, sum(Col2), sum(Col3) group by Col1 label sum(Col2) '', sum(Col3) '' ",0)
The same formula can be used for each month, since it always totals all 31 days, even if the month has fewer days.
For your Rune table in the Statistics sheet, you only need the firsts two columns, so you could delete the "sum(Col3)" from the last select statement.
For your smaller financial table, you would take the sum of the Col3 produced by the above formula, ie. the total value of all the runes used. A similar formula would be used to collect the count of the wax produced, its value, and the profit/loss for each day. This would let you complete the financial table.
If you do decide to go with this approach, and want any help with completing the tables, or the formulas, please share your sheet so "anyone can edit it", to make it easier for me to assist you.

How can I disable automatic recalculation on google sheets?

Simplified scenario:
Sheet Customer_Orders, has blocks of rows with each row having product code, count ordered, and size. Bunch of other stuff is looked up/calculated on the basis of these three tidbits. By the end of the season this sheet has about 5000 rows.
Sheet Raw_Inventory has start of year in the first 500 rows, and then does a query to Customer_orders. By season end this sheet has about 2000 rows.
Near as I can tell, this query runs every time I change one of the 3 fields in Cust_Orders.
Sheet Inv_Status is a pivot table that runs against Raw_Inventory, and again, I think that every time Raw_Inventory is modified, the pivot table is recalculated. (There are a couple of other pivot tables that use the same data.)
The result is that making a change on Cust_Orders can result in up to 2 minutes while the calculations catch up.
(Hardware: Mac Pro, 24 GB ram, 3.2 GHz, 4 core; Current version of Chrome running under Yosemite)
What I would like to do is one of the following:
Lengthen the time between updates.
Be able to recalculate sheet Raw_Inventory manually.
A partial workaround:
I've created a new sheet that imports raw_Inventory. This copy is used for the pivot table. ImportRange only runs every 30 minutes.
The next step will replace the query with 1 zillion simple assignment statements. I'm hoping that this will replace querying 3000 lines with querying a single line when I make a change in Cust_Orders.
There is no way to disable automatic recalculation in Google Sheets. One option is to replace the formulas by the values either by using copy/paste as value only or by using a script. The advantage of using a script is that it also could be used to add again the formulas when needed.
Related
Ho do I stop and start autoupdating in Google Sheets?
Formulas always recalculating when refreshing/loading spreadsheet
I had a similar problem, I solved it by creating an enabling cell and in that cell I put 0 or 1 and then I used that cell inside the formula. In such a way that:
A
B
1
enable formula
0
2
= if(B1=0; 0; complex_formula1)
= if(B1=0; 0; complex_formula2)
3
= if(B1=0; 0; complex_formula1)
= if(B1=0; 0; complex_formula2)
This way when I need to change the spreadsheet I disable formulas (putting 0 on A1), change spreadsheet and on end I enable formulas (putting 1 on A1).
It's not the best solution, but it worked for me.
This is not an answer to my original question -- how to control recalculation, but is a workaround, and ultimately a better solution.
Quick restatement of problem:
CustOrders pulled descriptions of inventory off of RawInv sheet.
RawInv updated from CustOrders. This wasn't quite a circular dependency, as RawInv only updated quantities from CustOrders. But it meant that anytime a change was made in CustOrders, RawInv needed to be recalcuated.
This was made worse by having one query per line creating descriptions.
The solution amounted to refactoring.
Another spreadsheet was created, CustSupport.
It kept RawInv and Trees -- the latter being the descriptions. It also had the master reference sheet for prices and round off tables. These two tabs are rarely changed, and are copied as needed to sheets that use them.
It imported a copy of CustOrders. Since this copy had no dependencies back to to main ordering sheet, I didn't have to wait for it to recalculate.
RawInv recalculated from this copy of CustOrders.
I did a wholesale replacement of Querys with VLookups. This required some rearrangement of columns.

Excel slicer connections won't display all pivot tables

I am using power query to get my tables from an external workbook. When I create a slicer for one of my pivot tables the other pivot tables don't show up in the pivottable connection. I want to have one slicer for multiple pivot tables and I am not sure why the pivot tables isn't showing up. Any help would be awesome!
A slicer can only connect to a pivot table that uses the same pivot cache. Chances are that if you don't see the other pivot tables in the slicer connection, they are using a different pivot cache.
If you use Power Query to get the data, make sure that you add the query to the workbook data model. Pivot tables that are created from the data model will share the same pivot cache.
Given you don't have PowerPivot installed (or don't have the DataModel that is built in to Excel 2013 or later) then you've got two options:
Join both data sources in PowerQuery on a common field, so that you
bring in just one Table. Then everything will be on the same
PivotCache (allowing Slicers) if not PivotTable.
Use one VBA routine to limit slicer selection to one item only, and another routine to sync slicers across different PivotCaches.
If you elect for the latter, then Jerry Sullivan's code from this link will limit users to selecting just one item in a Slicer, and my code from https://stackoverflow.com/a/39604425/2507160 will then show you how to sync this Slicer to other Slicers on different PivotCaches, in order to keep all Pivots showing the same thing.

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