Microsoft KB Archive/95954

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

Excel: Can't Use Formula as Value Field in Crosstab
Last reviewed: September 12, 1996

Article ID: Q95954

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 4.0
 * Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, version 4.0

SUMMARY
On page 355 of the &quot;Microsoft Excel User's Guide 1,&quot; version 4.0, the first paragraph under the &quot;Using Formulas in Value Fields&quot; section states that you can use a formula as a value field when you are creating a new crosstab table. However, this is possible only when you are using an external database as the data source for your crosstab table. You cannot use a formula for the value field if you are using a database on your worksheet.

This feature is by design of Microsoft Excel.

This information is stated correctly in the second paragraph of the section. The second paragraph also contains the following example:

=Units*Price Note that the correct syntax for this example depends on the external database you are using. For example, the correct syntax for a dBASE file is

PRODUCTS.UNITS*PRODUCTS.PRICE where &quot;PRODUCTS&quot; is the name of the external database file (without the extension). Note that there is no equal sign (=) in the expression.