Microsoft Office

Part V
Analyzing Data with Excel
Using this table, you can now see the calculated loan values for varying interest rates. If you examine the
contents of the cells that Excel entered as a result of this command, you’ll see that the data is generated with
a multicell array formula:
=TABLE(,C7)
As I discuss in Chapter 17, an array formula is a single formula that can produce results in multiple cells.
Because the table uses formulas, Excel updates the table that you produce if you change the cell references
in the first row or plug in different interest rates in the first column.
You can arrange a one-input table vertically (as in this example) or horizontally. If you place
the values of the input cell in a row, you enter the input cell reference in the text box labeled
Row input cell in the Table dialog box.
NOTE
Creating a two-input data table
As the name implies, a two-input data table lets you vary two input cells. You can see the setup for this type
of table in Figure 36.6. Although it looks similar to a one-input table, the two-input table has one critical
difference: It can show the results of only one formula at a time. With a one-input table, you can place any
number of formulas, or references to formulas, across the top row of the table. In a two-input table, this top
row holds the values for the second input cell. The upper-left cell of the table contains a reference to the
single result formula.
FIGURE 36.6
The setup for a two-input data table.
A formula, or a reference to a formula
Different values
of input cell #2
Different values of input cell #1
Using the mortgage loan worksheet, you could create a two-input data table that shows the results of a formula
(say, monthly payment) for various combinations of two input cells (such as interest rate and downpayment
percent). To see the effects on other formulas, you simply create multiple data tables — one for
each formula cell that you want to summarize.
The example in this section uses the worksheet shown in Figure 36.7 to demonstrate a two-input data table.
In this example, a company wants to conduct a direct-mail promotion to sell its product. The worksheet
calculates the net profit from the promotion.
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