Filter Multiple Pivot Tables With Excel Slicers

Filter Multiple Pivot Tables With Excel 2010 Slicers

In Excel 2007, and earlier versions, you can use Excel VBA code if you want to automatically filter multiple pivot tables at the same time. That task is much easier in Excel 2010, thanks to the new Slicer feature.

See the Slicer Steps

This video shows the easy steps for connecting a slicer to multiple pivot tables, in Excel for Office 365. There are written steps below, for earlier versions.

Slicer Intro

We took a look at slicers in October, in the Excel Slicers for Halloween Horror Films blog post and Slicer intro video.

To insert a slicer for a pivot table,

  • Select any cell in the pivot table.
  • On the Options tab of the Ribbon, click Insert Slicer.

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  • Check the fields for which you want to add slicers, then click OK

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The slicers appear on the worksheet, and you can resize them and move them. Then, click on the pivot items, to filter the pivot table.

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Connect Another Pivot Table

If you create multiple pivot tables from the same pivot cache, you can connect them to the same slicers, and filter all the pivot tables at the same time.

To create the Slicer connection in the second pivot table:

  • Select a cell in the second pivot table
  • On the Excel Ribbon’s Options tab, click Insert Slicer
  • Click Slicer Connections

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In the Slicer Connections window, add a check mark to each slicer.

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Both pivot tables are now connected to the Slicer. If you select an item in a slicer, both pivot tables will be filtered. For example, in the Product slicer below, Paper is selected, and both pivot tables show only the Paper sales.

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Watch the Connected Slicers Video

To see the steps for connecting multiple pivot tables to a slicer, you can  watch one of these short videos.

  • The first video shows the steps in Excel 2010
  • The second video shows the steps in Excel for Office 365.

Steps in Excel 2010

Steps in Excel for Office 365

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24 thoughts on “Filter Multiple Pivot Tables With Excel Slicers”

  1. Can you make multiple selections with the slicers while controlling both PTs, i.e., selecting Paper AND Pens?

    I haven’t found any VBA examples that can do this (normally, it is all, OR just one page field selected).

    Thanks,

    Dustin

  2. You can iterate the SlicerItems collection of the relevant SlicerCache (parent object being the workbook) and apply the relevant Boolean to Selected status of SlicerItem
    (clearmanualfilter prior to the iteration)

  3. Does anyone know how to stop slicers moving around when you make selections. This happens if the slicers are viewed on top of the pivot table data. As the pivot output data shinks or expands the slicers move around and sometimes obscure each other.
    Any idea how to fix in place?

    1. Right click on the slicer, select “Size and properties…”, then under the properties menu check the box that says “Don’t move or size with cells”

  4. James
    If I understand your question correctly… you can disable resizing and moving by right clicking to select the options and then click/check the “Disable resizing and moving” box.
    Hope this helps

  5. On one tab in the Excel 2010 workbook I have all of my slicers, one slicer has all of my projects listed. On another tab in the workbook I want to have multiple Pivot tables, say 10 tables.
    My question is in the project list slicer can I use choose multiple projects and then have each project selected in the slicer fill in the 10 pivot tables in succession? I’m trying to create a roll-up of all my projects using slicers.

  6. Can this work with PowerPivot? I have several pivot tables in one file built with same data tables. I would like to the filter on all of them at the same time.

  7. I am creating an analysis tool that looks at multiple sources of information from the same system, This is then pulled down into excel via different reports due to the differing areas within the system e.g. purchase ledger, sales ledger and nominal ledger.
    This info is then customised via individual pivot tables
    within each different source lies the same basic criteria . . a code where the transaction has been posted, and a period in which the transaction has occurred
    can i use slicers to link this basic filtering criteria amongst my pivot tables?

  8. @Allen…when you say “This is then pulled down into Excel via different reports” do you mean that data is pushed/pulled into separate tables within your spreadsheet, and then each pivot table points to one of these separate tables? If so, slicers won’t work. Slicers only work if pivots share the same cache. But if that’s the case, you can use the code at http://blog.contextures.com/archives/2012/08/28/update-specific-pivot-tables-automatically/

  9. Having a hard time with slicers. Created many different slicers from several pivot tables. Needed to change the data source and now it says I need to disconnected all of the slicers connected to the data source before I can update the Pivot Tables. I cannot find documentation anyway explaining how I can maintain the slicers and change the data source of the Pivot Tables.

    1. I’m having the same problem. Have to disconnect the slicers and then update pivot data source. Seems non-intuitive to being a ‘connected’ slicer.

  10. Hi, I wonder if I have 3 different pivot tables which get data from 3 different data set, is it possible to connect them as well. Those pivot tables have the same format and same filter. The only thing their resources are different sheets?
    Thanks.

  11. how can I automatically select all Pivot Tables to connect to slicer in just one (1) click.
    e.g.
    to picture this out….pls check the Slicer Connections (Pivot Table 3) as shown in the above of this site.
    You see there is no way of clicking all items inside a slicer in just one (1) click. You must have to do it manually. What if I have too many pivot tables that I want to connect with or make it slave???
    Please help. Thank you

  12. what happens if the PivotTable 2 doesn’t appear when you select report connections in the slicer right-click menu?

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