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: Editing PivotTables without Underlying Data.

Editing PivotTables without Underlying Data

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 15, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Stephen works with workbooks that originate with other people in his company. These workbooks regularly have PivotTables in them. It seems that Stephen cannot edit some of the PivotTables, instead getting an error message that says the "underlying data was not included." This is a bit confusing, since Stephen received the entire workbook.

Normally this error occurs not when the underlying data is not present in the workbook, but when the underlying data cache is not saved with the PivotTable. This is usually done in an attempt to create a smaller file when the workbook is saved.

In order to edit the PivotTable, try simply refreshing the data (right-click the table and choose Refresh Data). If this doesn't work, or if you want to eliminate the message entirely, then you can follow these steps:

  1. Right-click the PivotTable. Excel displays a Context menu.
  2. Click PivotTable Wizard. Excel starts the PivotTable Wizard.
  3. Click Options. The wizard displays the options for the PivotTable.
  4. Near the bottom of the dialog box, make sure that the Save Data with Table Layout option is checked.
  5. Click OK.

You should note that when this option is selected, the file size of your workbook can be significantly larger than if the option is not selected. This is a tradeoff, however, as the PivotTable should display quicker since it is working with the data in the cache.

If these techniques don't work, it could be because the underlying data for the PivotTable really isn't in the workbook. If you poke around in the workbook and cannot find the data, then it could be that the data was being pulled from an external source—outside of Excel. If this is the case (you will need to check with the PivotTable's author to verify this) and if the PivotTable options have been set to not save the cache, as previously described, then you won't be able to make edits.

If you determine that this is the case with your situation, then you'll need to have the original author again generate the PivotTable and make sure that the Save Data with Table Layout option is checked.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3295) 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: Editing PivotTables without Underlying Data.

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

Protecting Custom Shortcut Keys

If you spend time creating a rich set of custom shortcut keys, it can be rather frustrating if they suddenly disappear. ...

Discover More

Hiding and Unhiding Rows

When building a worksheet, you may need to hide some of the rows or unhide other, previously hidden, rows. It's easy to ...

Discover More

Field Calculations in Locked Forms

When adding form fields to a document, you may want some of the fields to be automatically calculated from other fields. ...

Discover More

Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Missing PivotTable Data

Wonder what happened to the data behind a PivotTable? It could be in a number of places, and tracking it down could be a ...

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

Setting Stable Column Widths in a PivotTable

When you update a PivotTable, Excel can take liberties with any formatting you previously applied to the PivotTable. ...

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 seven less than 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


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.