Excel Scenarios Create and Show

Use Excel Scenarios to store several versions of the data in a worksheet. Download the sample file and watch the video or follow the written instructions

Introduction

With Scenarios in Excel, you can store multiple versions of data, in the same cells. For example, when preparing a budget, the Marketing and Finance departments may have different forecasts for sales. You can store each forecast as a Scenario, print them separately, or compare them side-by-side.

Note: There is a limit of 32 changing cells in a Scenario

To see the steps for setting up the Scenarios, and showing them, please watch this short video tutorial. The written instructions are below the video.

Set up the Excel Scenarios Worksheet

Although Excel scenarios can be complex, a simple example is used here.

1. Delete all sheets except Sheet1
2. Rename Sheet1 as Budget
3. On the Budget sheet, enter the Marketing budget, as shown below
4. Name the following cells (there are Naming instructions here: Name a Range). Naming the cells is not required, but will make it easier to manage the scenarios, and read the reports:
   • Name cell B1 as Dept
   • Name cell B3 as Sales
   • Name cell B4 as Expenses
   • Name cell B6 as Profit
5. In cell B6, enter the following formula:
         =Sales - Expenses

Create the First Excel Scenario

1. On the Ribbon's Data tab, click What If Analysis
2. Click Scenario Manager

   

3. In the Scenario Manager, click the Add button
4. Type name for the Scenario. For this example, use Marketing.
5. Press the Tab key, to move to the Changing cells box
6. On the worksheet, select cells B1
7. Hold the Ctrl key, and select cells B3:B4
   Note: There is a limit of 32 changing cells
8. Press the Tab key, to move to the Comment box
9. (optional) Enter a comment that describes the scenario.
10. Click the OK button

    

11. The Scenario Values dialog box opens, with a box for each changing cell.
12. You could modify these values, but in this example they contain the values currently on the worksheet, and don't need to be changed.
13. Click the OK button, to return to the Scenario Manager.
14. Click the Close button, to return to the worksheet  

    

Create the Second Excel Scenario

1. To prepare for the Finance scenario, change the values in cells B1, B3 and B4, as shown below



2. On the Ribbon's Data tab, click What If Analysis, then click Scenario Manager.
3. In the Scenario Manager, click the Add button
4. Type name for the second Scenario. For this example, use Finance.
5. The Changing cells box should show the previous selection -- B1,B3:B4 -- so leave that as is.
6. Press the Tab key, to move to the Comment box
7. (optional) Enter a comment that describes the scenario.
8. Click the OK button
9. The Scenario Values dialog box opens, with a box for each changing cell.
10. Click the OK button, to return to the Scenario Manager.
11. Click the Close button, to return to the worksheet  

Show an Excel Scenario

Once you have created Scenarios, you can show them. In this example, the Finance scenario is currently visible. To change to a different scenario:

1. On the Ribbon's Data tab, click What If Analysis, then click Scenario Manager.
2. In the list of Scenarios, select Marketing
3. Click the Show button
4. Click the Close button.

   

Add Scenario to Excel Ribbon

An easier way to switch between Scenarios, is to add a command to the Ribbon. Follow these steps, to add a Custom Group, and put the Scenario command in that group.

1. Right-click on the Ribbon, and click Customize the Ribbon
2. From the drop down list at the top left, select All Commands
3. In the list of commands that are currently on the Ribbon, click the plus sign for Data, then click Data Tools. That group contains the Scenario Manager, so we'll add the new group beside it.

   

4. Below the list, click the New Group button.
5. Then, click the Rename button, type Scenario as the name for the group, and click OK



6. At the left, in the list of All Commands, scroll down to find Scenarios
7. Make sure that the new Scenario group is still selected in the list at the right.
8. Click on Scenarios, then click Add, to put Scenarios in the Scenario group.

   

9. Click OK, to close the window, then click the Data tab, and select a Scenario to view.

   

Get the Sample File

Get the zipped sample Excel Scenario file

There is another Excel Scenario example on the Contextures blog.

More Scenario Tutorials

Scenario Summaries

Automatically Show Scenarios

Scenarios -- Programming

Scenarios Excel 2003