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Using the Name Manager and Named Ranges in Excel

Have you already completed Microsoft Excel Training? If so, you already know how to use formulas in your spreadsheets. But did you know that you can make entering formulas easier by naming ranges? In addition, you can also manage your named ranges by using the Name Manager in Excel 2007. You don't have to go through Microsoft Excel 2007 Training in order to learn how to use named ranges though a formal training program will go into further detail than this brief tutorial.

Names can either be a defined name (a name that represents a formula, a range of cells, or a constant) or a table name (a named Excel table). The name can be used on the worksheet only or throughout the entire workbook. This is called the “scope” of the name.

Why use names? If you have a set of values that you refer to many times throughout the workbook, it's easier to remember and enter a name than it is to remember cell numbers. What's easier to remember: FirstQuarterSales or B2:B285?

By naming the range of numbers representing the first quarter sales figures, you can use the name instead of the cell references in other formulas. For example, if you wanted to project the entire year's sales by multiplying the first quarter's sales results times four, you could do so by entering the following formula: =SUM(FirstQuarterSales)*4

The Name Manager is found in the Formulas ribbon. Simply click the icon and click “New” to add a new range. Choose the scope (either worksheet or workbook) and enter a brief description in the Comment box. In the Refers to box, select the range of cells that the name represents.