Forum Discussion
Combining multiple quarterly workbooks into one master workbook.
Hi all,
I get quarterly excel files that I have been manually combining and I am wondering if there is a more efficient way that I can be doing it with less chance of user error?
Each quarter I get the following excel workbooks:
- An inpatient listing for my hospitals
- A listing of inpatients who had a complication
- A listing of inpatients who returned to the Emergency Department after discharge
- A listing of inpatients who were readmitted within 30 days of discharge.
Currently, each quarter I take the new data and append it to the bottom of a master excel workbook with a worksheet for each of the above books. This can be quite time consuming as occasionally columns are added into the quarterly reports so they don't line up with the columns of the master, and I have to adjust things.
Is there a way in excel that I can append the rows from each new workbook to its corresponding sheet in the master where the data will be placed in the column with the same header, and in situations where there is no existing matching header, insert a new column with that header to the master file? This would leave a bunch of blanks in the previous rows, but that wouldn't really be an issue for me.
Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Brian
9 Replies
Hi Brian
Although Power Query is doing magic, however, at the end it just repeats the same steps in the same sequence, assuming that you run the function to similar sources.
Also note that if you are recording among the steps, a step that keeps 3 columns and Deletes other columns >> so it will delete Other columns whether they are 5 or 6 or 7...
Once you get the concept, you apply it according to your work situation
Good Luck
Nabil Mourad
Hi Brian
To my humble point of view, you have 2 options (depending upon the structure of your files)
Option 1:
Creating a Code in VBA
I am attaching an excel file with about 90 sheets and by triggering the code using the shortcut CTRL+ SHIFT + P , all the sheets are consolidated and appended, while the original sheets are deleted. (of course modifications can be done as needed, I am just showing you an example.
Option 2
Using Power Query to append any number of files together if they were put in the same folder. All what you need to do with every new file is to refresh the Query.
Here is a link to a similar situation explained by Excel MVP Mike Girvin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_csX8sCzJd0
Hope that helps
Nabil Mourad
Thanks for your answer! Macros seem to be blocked by my IT department, so I will see if I can make the power query method work - the tutorial you linked looks very helpful.
I have never used power query before - Will I be able to use it even if the columns are not consistent? As in, if there is a new column in the latest workbook, will it just create a new column in the file and have null values for the previous rows?
Cheers,
Brian
You may create template file with dummy data with all possible columns in your files and, if columns have names (texts in first row before data), with exactly the same names as in your files. Combining the files take that template as the sample.
If in one of the files compare to the template extra columns appear, or column(s) have another order, or column(s) have another names - such data will be missed or you'll have an error, depends on situation.
if in the file there are no some columns as in template, data will be filled by null.
