Forum Discussion
Combining multiple quarterly workbooks into one master workbook.
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.
SergeiBaklan and nabilmourad,
Thanks for your replies!
So if make a template file with all the columns and headers that will be there in the end, it will add null data to columns where there is no data and add the data it has to the appropriate column?
For instance if I make a table template that looks like this:
Col A Col B Col C Col D Col E Col F Col G And my first worksheet looked like this:
Col A Col B Col D Col E Col F abc abc abc abc abc And a second looked like this:
Col A Col B Col C Col E Col G abc abc abc abc abc I would get an output like this?
Col A Col B Col C Col D Col E Col F Col G abc abc abc abc abc abc abc abc abc abc And if so, would it matter if the columns weren't necessarily in the same order as long as they had the same headers?
Cheers,
Brian
And attached are template and two dummy files. Put them into the folder c:\test (only these files, nothing more), file from previous post in any other place and be sure all together works. After that you may try to play with your real files in similar way.
