You can now group several period columns in a worksheet to form one period column that displays the total of the values in the individual periods.
There are many reasons why you might want to group columns, such as to:
Group past periods into one summary column, so that data is hidden from view and you can focus on the remaining months in the budget period.
Group a couple of weeks together to view a fortnightly budget.
Group three months together to get a summary total of the budget values in that quarter.
View your budget values at a summary time period level, such as quarters, and avoid the need to scroll across the worksheet.
Create a group
Click the header of the first period column you want to include in the group, then hold and drag your mouse across the headers of the other columns you want to include, then release your mouse. The headers of the selected columns are highlighted blue and the option to group those columns becomes available.
Click Group Period.
The period columns you selected are grouped together to form one period column. The values you now see in that column are the total of the values in the individual periods. The column header identifies the periods (columns) that are in the group. The new period column is in a ‘collapsed’ state, in which you cannot edit the values in the cells (white background). However, you can use the spread feature to change the total value.
Expand or collapse a group
To view the period columns within a group, click the header of the group to expand the group. You can then edit the values as usual (yellow background).
Click anywhere in the blue highlighted column header area to collapse the group and view the group total again.
Spread totals within a group
In the collapsed state, you can use the spread feature to change the total values of a group and spread it across the periods within that group. The spread is limited to the periods within that group, as identified in the spread window. Expand the group to view the updated values in each period.
Ungroup columns
Right-click anywhere in the blue highlighted column header area and click Ungroup period.
