Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Suppressing Zero Values in PivotTables.

Suppressing Zero Values in PivotTables

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 5, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

Many people use the PivotTable feature of Excel to help analyze their data. One such person is Chris, who explained how he has approximately 40,000 rows of data which boil down to about 8,200 rows in a PivotTable. The problem is that only about 230 of those rows have non-zero values in them. Chris was looking for a way to suppress the PivotTable rows that contain zero balances.

There are various ways that a solution can be approached. For instance, you could work with the original data and delete zero-balance rows before creating the PivotTable. If that is not possible, you can use an AutoFilter on the data, before creating the PivotTable, that would show only rows that are not equal to zero. In other words, create a PivotTable using filtered data.

Another option is to use AutoFilter after the PivotTable is created. All you need to do is select the column to the immediate right of the PivotTable and then create the AutoFilter. Excel is smart enough to know that the AutoFilter should not apply to the blank column, but instead does its work on the rows that make up the PivotTable.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2041) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Suppressing Zero Values in PivotTables.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Preventing Jumbled Sorts

Click the Sort tool in Excel, and you may be surprised that the data in your worksheet is jumbled. In order to sort ...

Discover More

Changing Your Name

One of the many pieces of information that Excel keeps track of is your name. If you want to change your name for Excel's ...

Discover More

Securing Your Signature

If you want to "sign" your documents, you might be tempted to insert a graphic scan of your signature into them. Before ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Default Formatting for PivotTables

Wish there was a way to define how you want PivotTables formatted before you actually create the PivotTable? You may be ...

Discover More

Weighted Averages in a PivotTable

PivotTables are used to boil down huge data sets into something you can more easily understand. They are very good simple ...

Discover More

Refreshing PivotTable Data

If you modify the data on which a PivotTable is based, you'll need to refresh the table so it reflects the modified data. ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is one less than 9?

2016-07-06 08:21:38

Rkeev

I use conditional formatting with black if the number is less than zero. That way all zeros or null stings are blacked out.


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.