Updating Multiple PivotTables at Once

For certain types of data analysis, PivotTables can be very handy. If you have a workbook that contains several PivotTables, all based on the same data, you may wonder if there is a way to update them all at once, rather than going through them individually and updating them.

There is no Excel command that allows you to update all PivotTables, but you can create a short macro that will do the job for you. The following macro, RefreshAllPivots, steps through each worksheet in a workbook, checks to see if there are any PivotTables, and then updates them if there are.

Sub RefreshAllPivots()
    Dim wks As Worksheet
    Dim pt As PivotTable

    For Each wks In Worksheets
        For Each pt In wks.PivotTables
            pt.RefreshTable
        Next pt
    Next wks
End Sub

If you do a lot of work with multiple PivotTables, you may want to assign the macro to a shortcut key, the Quick Access toolbar, a toolbar button, or to a menu option so that you can run it easier. (Where you can assign the macro depends on the version of Excel you are using. Information on how to assign macros to toolbars, shortcut keys, and menus is covered in other issues of ExcelTips.)