Finding Data Tables in Excel

I have inherited a spreadsheet which contains several data tables. I know this because when I recalculate the spreadsheet takes time to recalculate the tables, and shows this in the recalculation notifier. Is there a systematic way to locate these data tables, similarly to locating links ( the spreadsheet has > 50 worksheets, so just searching sheet by sheet would be a little tedious).

Solution 1:

You haven't said / tagged what version of Excel you are using, but since you call them Tables, not Lists, I assume it is 2007 or 2010. If you go to Formulas tab of the Ribbon > Name Manager you will see Table names listed amongst other defined names. They show a different icon next to them, but to make things even clearer you can use the Filter button at the top right to show tables only.

As you work out what they do it is with renaming tables to sensible names (from the Table Tools > Design ribbon or the Name Manager) and possibly adding comments about their purpose to remind you later (do this in Name Manager > Edit)

Solution 2:

If the Name Manager shows no tables and a ctrl+F search for "=table" yields no results, but you are still calculating data tables, check for hidden tabs in your workbook that may include data tables.

That was the source of my problem.

Solution 3:

In later versions of Excel you can:

Home -> Find & Select -> Go To

This will bring up a list of named items, including tables, that you can then navigate directly to