What is what if analysis excel tools

What-If Analysis in Excel is a tool that helps us create different models, scenarios, and Data Tables. This article will look at the ways of using What-If Analysis.

We have three parts of What-If Analysis in Excel. They are as follows:

1. Scenario Manager
2. Goal Seek in Excel
3. Data Table in Excel

You can download this What-If Analysis Excel Template here – What-If Analysis Excel Template

#1 Scenario Manager in What-If Analysis

As a business head, it is important to know the different scenarios of your future project. Based on the scenarios, the business head will make decisions. For example, you are going to undertake one of the important projects. You have done your homework and listed all the possible expenditures from your end, and below is the list of all your expenses.

The expected cash flow from this project is $75 million, which is in cell C2. Total expenses comprise all your fixed and variable expenses, the total cost is $57.45 million in cell C12. Total profit is $17.55 million in cell C14, and profit % is 23.40% of your cash inflow.

It is the basic scenario of your project. Now, you need to know the profit scenario if some of your expenses increase or decrease.

Scenario 1

• In a general case scenario, you have estimated the “Project License” cost to be $10 million, but you are sure anticipating it to be $15 million
• Raw material costs to be increased by $2.5 million
• Other expensesOther expenses comprise all the non-operating costs incurred for the supporting business operations. Such payments like rent, insurance and taxes have no direct connection with the mainstream business activities.read more to be decreased by 50 thousand.

Scenario 2

• The “Project Cost” to be at $20 million
• The “Labor Daily Wages” to be at $5 million
• The “Operating Cost” is to be at $3.5 million

Now, you have listed out all the scenarios in the form. Based on these scenarios, you need to create a table about how it will impact your profit and profit %.

Total Excel has created three scenarios even though we have supplied only two scenario changes because Excel will show existing reports as one scenario.

From this table, we can easily see the impact of changes in pour profit %.

#2 Goal Seek in What-If Analysis

Now, we know the Scenario Manager’s advantage. What-if-Analysis Goal Seek can tell you what you must do to achieve the target.

Andrew is a class 10th student. His target is to achieve an average score of 85 in the final exam. He has already completed 5 exams and left with only 1 exam. Therefore, in the completed 5 exams.

To calculate the current average, apply the average formula in the B7 cell.

The current average is 82.2.

Andrew’s GOAL is 85. His current average is 82.2. He is short by 3.8 with one exam.

Now, the question is how much he has to score in the final exam to eventually get an overall average of 85. It can be found by the What-If Analysis GOAL SEEK tool.

• Step 1: Go to DATA > What-If Analysis > Goal Seek.

• Step 2: It will show you below the dialog box.

• Step 3: Here, we need to set the cell first. “Set cell” is nothing but which cell we need for the final result, i.e., our overall average cell (B7). Next is “To value.” Again, Andrew’s overall average GOAL is nothing but for what value we need to set the cell (85).

The next and final step is changing which cell you want to see the impact on. So, we need to change cell B6, the cell for the final subject’s score.

• Step 4: Click on “OK.” Excel will take a few seconds to complete the process, but it eventually shows the result like the one below.

Now, we have our results here. To get an overall average of 85, Andrew has to score 99 in the final exam.

#3 Data Table in What-If Analysis

We have already seen two wonderful techniques under What-If Analysis in Excel. First, the Data Table can create different scenario tables based on the variable change. We have two kinds of Data Tables here: one variable Data Table and a “Two-variable data tableA two-variable data table helps analyze how two different variables impact the overall data table. In simple terms, it helps determine what effect does changing the two variables have on the result.read more.” This article will show you One variable data table in ExcelOne variable data table in excel means changing one variable with multiple options and getting the results for multiple scenarios. The data inputs in one variable data table are either in a single column or across a row.read more.

Assume you are selling 1,000 products at ₹15, your total anticipated expense is ₹12,500, and your profit is ₹2,500.

You are not happy with the profit you are getting. Your anticipated profit is ₹7,500. You have decided to increase your per-unit price to increase your profit, but you do not know how much you need to increase.

Data tables can help you. Create a table below.

Now, in the cell, F1 links to the “Total Profit” cell, B6.

• Step 1: Select the newly created table.

• Step 2: Go to DATA > What-if Analysis > Data Table.

• Step 3: Now, you will see below dialog box.

• Step 4: Since we are showing the result vertically, leave the ”Row input cell.” In the “Column input cell,” select cell B2, which is the original selling price.

• Step 5: Click on “OK” to get the results. It will list out profit numbers in the new table.

So, we have our Data Table ready. To profit from ₹7,500, you need to sell at ₹20 per unit.

Things to Remember

• The What-If Analysis data table can be performed with two variable changes. Refer to our article on What-If Analysis two-variable Data Table.
• What-If Analysis Goal Seek takes a few seconds to perform calculations.
• What-If Analysis Scenario Manager can give a summary with input numbers and current values together.

Recommended Articles

This article is a guide to What-If Analysis in Excel. Here, we discuss three types of What-If Analysis in Excel such as 1) Scenario Manager, 2) Goal Seek, 3) Data Tables along with practical examples, and a downloadable Excel template. You may learn more about Excel from the following articles: –

• Pareto Analysis in ExcelA pareto chart is a graph which is a combination of a bar graph and a line graph, indicates the defect frequency and its cumulative impact. It helps in finding the defects to observe the best possible and overall improvement measure.read more
• Goal Seek in VBA
• Sensitivity Analysis in Excel

Introduction to What-If Analysis

By using What-If Analysis tools in Excel, you can use several different sets of values in one or more formulas to explore all the various results.

For example, you can do What-If Analysis to build two budgets that each assumes a certain level of revenue. Or, you can specify a result that you want a formula to produce, and then determine what sets of values will produce that result. Excel provides several different tools to help you perform the type of analysis that fits your needs.

Note that this is just an overview of those tools. There are links to help topics for each one specifically.

What-If Analysis is the process of changing the values in cells to see how those changes will affect the outcome of formulas on the worksheet.

Three kinds of What-If Analysis tools come with Excel: Scenarios, Goal Seek, and Data Tables. Scenarios and Data tables take sets of input values and determine possible results. A Data Table works with only one or two variables, but it can accept many different values for those variables. A Scenario can have multiple variables, but it can only accommodate up to 32 values. Goal Seek works differently from Scenarios and Data Tables in that it takes a result and determines possible input values that produce that result.

In addition to these three tools, you can install add-ins that help you perform What-If Analysis, such as the Solver add-in. The Solver add-in is similar to Goal Seek, but it can accommodate more variables. You can also create forecasts by using the fill handle and various commands that are built into Excel.

For more advanced models, you can use the Analysis ToolPak add-in.

A Scenario is a set of values that Excel saves and can substitute automatically in cells on a worksheet. You can create and save different groups of values on a worksheet and then switch to any of these new scenarios to view different results.

For example, suppose you have two budget scenarios: a worst case and a best case. You can use the Scenario Manager to create both scenarios on the same worksheet, and then switch between them. For each scenario, you specify the cells that change and the values to use for that scenario. When you switch between scenarios, the result cell changes to reflect the different changing cell values.

1. Changing cells

1. Changing cells

If several people have specific information in separate workbooks that you want to use in scenarios, you can collect those workbooks and merge their scenarios.

After you have created or gathered all the scenarios that you need, you can create a Scenario Summary Report that incorporates information from those scenarios. A scenario report displays all the scenario information in one table on a new worksheet.

Note: Scenario reports are not automatically recalculated. If you change the values of a scenario, those changes will not show up in an existing summary report. Instead, you must create a new summary report.

If you know the result that you want from a formula, but you’re not sure what input value the formula requires to get that result, you can use the Goal Seek feature. For example, suppose that you need to borrow some money. You know how much money you want, how long a period you want in which to pay off the loan, and how much you can afford to pay each month. You can use Goal Seek to determine what interest rate you must secure in order to meet your loan goal.

Cells B1, B2, and B3 are the values for the loan amount, term length, and interest rate.

Cell B4 displays the result of the formula =PMT(B3/12,B2,B1).

Note: Goal Seek works with only one variable input value. If you want to determine more than one input value, for example, the loan amount and the monthly payment amount for a loan, you should instead use the Solver add-in. For more information about the Solver add-in, see the section Prepare forecasts and advanced business models, and follow the links in the See Also section.

If you have a formula that uses one or two variables, or multiple formulas that all use one common variable, you can use a Data Table to see all the outcomes in one place. Using Data Tables makes it easy to examine a range of possibilities at a glance. Because you focus on only one or two variables, results are easy to read and share in tabular form. If automatic recalculation is enabled for the workbook, the data in Data Tables immediately recalculates; as a result, you always have fresh data.

Cell B3 contains the input value.
Cells C3, C4, and C5 are values Excel substitutes based on the value entered in B3.

A Data Table cannot accommodate more than two variables. If you want to analyze more than two variables, you can use Scenarios. Although it is limited to only one or two variables, a Data Table can use as many different variable values as you want. A Scenario can have a maximum of 32 different values, but you can create as many scenarios as you want.

If you want to prepare forecasts, you can use Excel to automatically generate future values that are based on existing data, or to automatically generate extrapolated values that are based on linear trend or growth trend calculations.

You can fill in a series of values that fit a simple linear trend or an exponential growth trend by using the fill handle or the Series command. To extend complex and nonlinear data, you can use worksheet functions or the regression analysis tool in the Analysis ToolPak Add-in.

Although Goal Seek can accommodate only one variable, you can project backward for more variables by using the Solver add-in. By using Solver, you can find an optimal value for a formula in one cell—called the target cell—on a worksheet.

Solver works with a group of cells that are related to the formula in the target cell. Solver adjusts the values in the changing cells that you specify—called the adjustable cells—to produce the result that you specify from the target cell formula. You can apply constraints to restrict the values that Solver can use in the model, and the constraints can refer to other cells that affect the target cell formula.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

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IF function

The IF function is one of the most popular functions in Excel, and it allows you to make logical comparisons between a value and what you expect.

So an IF statement can have two results. The first result is if your comparison is True, the second if your comparison is False.

For example, =IF(C2=”Yes”,1,2) says IF(C2 = Yes, then return a 1, otherwise return a 2).

Use the IF function, one of the logical functions, to return one value if a condition is true and another value if it’s false.

IF(logical_test, value_if_true, [value_if_false])

The condition you want to test.

The value that you want returned if the result of logical_test is TRUE.

The value that you want returned if the result of logical_test is FALSE.

Simple IF examples

In the above example, cell D2 says: IF(C2 = Yes, then return a 1, otherwise return a 2)

In this example, the formula in cell D2 says: IF(C2 = 1, then return Yes, otherwise return No)As you see, the IF function can be used to evaluate both text and values. It can also be used to evaluate errors. You are not limited to only checking if one thing is equal to another and returning a single result, you can also use mathematical operators and perform additional calculations depending on your criteria. You can also nest multiple IF functions together in order to perform multiple comparisons.

B2,”Over Budget”,”Within Budget”)» loading=»lazy»>

=IF(C2>B2,”Over Budget”,”Within Budget”)

In the above example, the IF function in D2 is saying IF(C2 Is Greater Than B2, then return “Over Budget”, otherwise return “Within Budget”)

B2,C2-B2,»»)» loading=»lazy»>

In the above illustration, instead of returning a text result, we are going to return a mathematical calculation. So the formula in E2 is saying IF(Actual is Greater than Budgeted, then Subtract the Budgeted amount from the Actual amount, otherwise return nothing).

In this example, the formula in F7 is saying IF(E7 = “Yes”, then calculate the Total Amount in F5 * 8.25%, otherwise no Sales Tax is due so return 0)

Note: If you are going to use text in formulas, you need to wrap the text in quotes (e.g. “Text”). The only exception to that is using TRUE or FALSE, which Excel automatically understands.

Common problems

What went wrong

There was no argument for either value_if_true or value_if_False arguments. To see the right value returned, add argument text to the two arguments, or add TRUE or FALSE to the argument.

This usually means that the formula is misspelled.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

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A Beginner’s Guide to What If Analysis in Excel

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If you’ve ever experimented with different variables to see how your changes would affect the outcome of a situation, you’ve done a what if analysis.

Would you be able to sell more items if you had a sale this week? Or would you make more money by increasing the price instead? In the above scenarios, you want to know the degree to which each change affects the overall outcome. For this reason, a what if analysis is also known as a sensitivity analysis.

Most what if analyses are really mathematical calculations, and that is Excel’s specialty. To help you do a what if analysis, Excel uses commands from the Forecast command group on the Data tab to prepare simple forecasts or advanced business models.

Download your free Excel practice file

Use this free Excel file to practice what if analysis along with the tutorial.

Goal Seek

The simplest sensitivity analysis tool in Excel is Goal Seek. Assuming that you know the single outcome you would like to achieve, the Goal Seek feature in Excel allows you to arrive at that goal by mathematically adjusting a single variable within the equation.

To illustrate how it works, imagine that the bank is offering an interest rate of 9% per annum on personal loans with 24 months to repay, and that you would like to borrow $40,000.

Using the above information, the bank calculates that the amount borrowed plus interest over the loan period will be $47,200, as shown in cell B5. The amount to be paid each month is also calculated and shown in cell B6.

By using the Goal Seek command, we can indicate a desired outcome and Excel will determine the adjustment we need to make to a single variable.

In the example above, cell B5 is dependent on the variables in cells B1, B2, and B3. Cell B6 is dependent on cells B3 and B5. Therefore, if we determine that the monthly repayment amount quoted is higher than desired, we can use Goal Seek to set the monthly amount to $1750. Excel can work backwards to change either cell B1, B2, or B3 to reach that goal.

Practically speaking, we may not have much control over the interest rate, so it is more likely that we have the option of adjusting the amount we borrow, or the repayment period.

Our first inclination may be to find out how much we will be able to borrow if we pay $1750 per month and all other variables remain the same. Excel will change the principal (B1) based on the number we enter as the new value for cell B6.

Assuming that the interest amount (9%) and loan period (24 months) remain the same, the new principal amount is calculated and displayed in cell B1 if a valid solution exists.

1. The cell chosen in the “Set cell” field must be a cell containing a formula.
2. The cell chosen in the “By changing cell” field must be a cell containing a constant.
3. Once “OK” is selected from the Goal Seek Status window, the values on the worksheet are adjusted and are only retrievable by selecting the ‘Undo’ command (Ctrl+Z Windows shortcut/Cmd+Z Mac shortcut).

Scenario Manager

Another what if analysis tool is the Scenario Manager. This option is somewhat more advanced than Goal Seek in that it allows the adjustment of multiple variables at the same time.

Some other noticeable differences between Goal Seek and Scenario Manager are listed below:

• The Scenario Manager allows the creation of an unlimited number of possible scenarios by changing up to 32 variables at a time.
• Each scenario can be saved for comparative purposes.
• Scenarios may be named and edited, and a brief description provided.
• Only constant values should be changed within the Scenario Manager — cells with formulas should not be manually adjusted.

If we continue our bank loan example, we can determine our model’s sensitivity to change by adjusting any or all of the values in cell B1, B2, or B3.

Best practice

As a best practice, the original worksheet data should be saved as a scenario so that you can revert to it after all the experiments have been completed.

Step 1 — Click ‘What If Analysis’ from the Data tab and select Scenario Manager.

Step 2 — Click ‘Add’ from the Scenario Manager pop-up window.

Step 3 — Name this scenario “Original” and enter the cell references of all cells with constant values that you may consider changing in other scenarios (maximum 32 cells). Click OK.

Step 4 — For the “Original” scenario, do not adjust any values in the ‘Scenario Values’ window.

Step 5 — Click ‘Add’ to create your first experimental scenario.

Creating experimental scenarios

When creating an experimental scenario, give the scenario a descriptive name from the ‘Add Scenario’ pop-up window. The changing cells will be the same as the ones referenced in your ‘Original’ scenario.

Even if you will not be adjusting all the values in those cells, it is highly recommended that they remain referenced in the ‘changing cells’ field. You may place additional details about the experimental scenario in the ‘Comment’ field (see below).

As illustrated above, our experimental scenario is given the name “36 months” and refers to cells B1 to B3 as changing cells. An additional comment indicates that this scenario is to determine the effect of borrowing $40,000 over a 36-month period.

In the ‘Scenario Values’ window, each changing cell is displayed as a field where we can manipulate the constant value so as to affect the outcome of the dependent cells — in our case, cells B5 and B6. As described in our scenario name and comments, we only adjust cell B3 by changing the value to 36.

To add another scenario at this point, select ‘Add’. If not, click OK.

Adjust multiple variables

To experiment with adjusting multiple variables within one scenario, the steps are the same as above, with the exception that the desired changes would be made in the Scenario Values window.

For example, to get Excel to perform a what if analysis on borrowing $50,000 over a 36-month period in the above situation at the same rate of interest, we would simply adjust the fields referencing those variables after creating a new scenario. Excel’s Scenario Manager can handle an unlimited number of scenarios created in this same way.

A list of created scenarios can be viewed by clicking OK from the Scenario Values window, or by selecting Scenario Manager from the What If Analysis dropdown menu.

To see the outcome of each adjustment on the output cell(s), either double click on a scenario name, or highlight a name and click Show.

Scenario summary

Scenarios that have been created may also be compared side by side with the creation of a Scenario summary worksheet, which is generated by selecting ‘Summary’ from the Scenario Manager window.

There are two report types available — Scenario summary and Scenario PivotTable report. Result cells are the cells that will be displayed in the summary. Ideally, these should include all cells which were adjusted as well as result cells. It’s also a good idea to select cells that contain header names so that these are clearly displayed in the summary.

Choosing the ‘Scenario summary’ option will create a new sheet within the workbook that displays each scenario in columnar format. Changing Cells are highlighted in gray, and Result Cells are displayed under Changing Cells.

Note that if named ranges were created for Changing or Result Cells, range names will be displayed instead of cell references.

Selecting the Scenario PivotTable report type will create a pivot table report in a new worksheet. Learn more about pivot tables from our Resource Library.

Using data tables for what if analysis

The third what if analysis tool from the Forecast command group is the Data Table. Data tables allow the adjustment of only one or two variables within a dataset, but each variable can have an unlimited number of possible values. Data tables are designed for side-by-side comparisons in a way that makes them easier to read than scenarios, once they are set up correctly.

Data tables are under-utilized, but are not as scary as they may seem.

One-variable data tables

If the only variable to be considered in our loan example were the amount being borrowed, we could set up a one-variable data table.

Step 1 — make a list of all possible principal loan amounts. The list may be by column or row. In our example, we will enter a column list in the range D9 to D12.

Step 2 — In an adjacent column, enter the formula which was used to arrive at the original outcome. In this case, we can simply type =B6 in cell E8. This links our new data table to the original variables.

Step 3 — Select the entire data table range, including the list of variable values, the formula, and blank cells.

Step 4 — From the What If Analysis dropdown menu, select Data Table.

Step 5 — In the column input cell field (since we entered our variables in column format), enter the cell reference that was used to calculate the result in the original dataset. In the above example, this would be cell B1 since this is the variable we have adjusted. No value is entered in the ‘Row input cell’ field in this instance since this is a one-variable data table.

Step 6 — Select OK. The result is a list of outcomes created by adjusting the one variable in cell B1, assuming that all other variables remain constant.

To create a row-oriented data table, the variables would be listed horizontally, and the row input cell would be used in the Data Table window instead of the column input cell.

Two-variable data tables

When creating a two-variable data table, one set of values is listed horizontally and the other set is listed vertically. In our example, we will add the loan period (term) as our second variable, displayed horizontally.

In this case, the formula which was used to arrive at the original outcome must be replicated above the vertical list of variables. As shown below, we type =B6 in cell D7. This links our new data table to the original variables.

As before, highlight the entire data table range and select Data Table from the What If Analysis menu. The row input cell is the cell reference (B3) that corresponds to the horizontal variables from the original dataset, while the column input cell (B1) corresponds to the vertical variables.

When we select OK, Excel returns a matrix that can be used to compare the outcome of different changes to our original scenario. It may be necessary to adjust the output cells to the appropriate number format for your data type (in the case of the above example, currency).

Summary

Now that you’ve taken the time to demystify how to do a what if analysis in Excel by using these three main tools, why not experiment with using them in different settings — like budget management, profit margin percentages, project completion targets, and the like?

Once you get the hang of these, you’ll want to check out our resource center and take our Basic and Advanced Excel course to become a real pro!

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What If Analysis In Excel (Table of Contents)

• Overview of What-if Analysis in Excel
• Examples of What-if Analysis in Excel

Overview of What If Analysis in Excel

What-if analysis in Excel is used to test more than one value for a different formula on the basis of multiple scenarios. For this, we must have data of such kind where, for a single parameter, we would have 2 or more values for comparison. Go to the Data menu tab and click on the What-If Analysis option under the Forecast section. Select the scenario manager and give a scenario name and select the cell which contains the scenario value. By this, we can enter multiple scenarios. Now from the Goal Seek option from What-If Analysis, select the value we want to compare.

What if the analysis is available in the “forecast” section under the “Data” tab.

There are three different kinds of tolls in the What-if analysis. Those are:

1. Scenario manager

2. Goal Seek

3. Data table

We will see each one with related examples.

Examples of What If Analysis in Excel

Here are some examples given below:

You can download this What if Analysis Excel Template here – What if Analysis Excel Template

Example #1 – Scenario Manager

The scenario manager helps to find the results for different scenarios. Let’s consider a company that wants to buy raw materials for their organization’s needs. Due to the scarcity of funds, the company wants to understand how much cost will happen for different possibilities of buying.

In these cases, we can use the scenario manager for applying different scenarios to understand the results and make the decision accordingly. Now consider Raw material X, Raw material Y, and Raw material Z. We know the price of each, and we want to know how much amount need for different scenarios.

Now we need to design 3 scenarios like High volume purchase, Medium volume purchase, and Low volume purchase. For that, click on What if analysis and select Scenario manager.

Once we select the scenario manager, the following window will open.

As shown in the screenshot, currently, there were no scenarios; if we want to add scenarios, we need to click on the “Add” option available.

Then it will ask for the Scenario name and changing cells. Give scenario name whatever you want as per your requirement. Here I am giving “High volume.”

Changing cells is the range of cells that your scenario values for different scenarios. Suppose if we observe the below screenshot. No. of units will change in each scenario; that is the reason for changing cells; we used C2:C4, which means C2, C3, and C4.

Once you give the change values, click on “OK”, then it will ask for the changing values for the High volume scenario. Input the values for high volume scenario and then click on “Add” to add another scenario “, Medium Volume.”

Give name as “Medium volume” and give the same range and click Ok then it will ask for values.

Again, click on “Add” and create one more scenario “, Low volume”, with low values like below.

Once all scenarios have done, click on “Ok” You will find the below screen.

We can find all the scenarios on the “Scenarios” screen. Now we can click on each scenario and click on Show; then you will find the results in excel; otherwise, we can view all the scenarios by clicking on the option “Summary.”

If we click on the scenario wise, the results will be changing in excel as below.

Whenever you click on the scenario and show the results at the back will change. If we want to see all the scenarios at a time to compare with others, click on the summary the following screen will come.

Select ‘Scenario Summary” and give the “Results Cells” here; the total results will be in D5; hence I given D5, click on ‘Ok’. Then a new tab will be created with the name “Scenario summary.”

Here the columns in grey color are the changing values, and the column in white color is the current value which was the last selected scenario results.

Example #2 – Goal Seek

Goal seek helps to find the input for the known output or required output.

Suppose we will take a small example of product sale. Suppose we know that we want to sell the product at an additional price of 200 than product cost then we want to know what is the percentage we are earning the profit.

Observe the above screenshot product cost is 500, and I have given the formula for finding the percentage profit, which you can observe in the formula bar. In one more cell, I gave the formula for the additional price which we want to sell.

Now use Goal Seek to find the profit percentage of the different additional prices on the product’s product cost and selling price.

When we click on the “Goal seek”, the above pop up will come. In the set, the cell gives the cell position where we are going to give the output value here the additional price amount we know which we are giving in cell C4.

The “To Value” is the value at what additional price we want to cell 150 rupees additional to the product cost, and the changing cell is B2 where percentage changes. Click on “Ok” and see how much percentage profit if we sell an additional 150 rupees.

The profit percentage is 30, and the selling price should be 650. Similarly, we can check for different targeted values. This goal seeks to help to find the EMI calculations etc.

Example #3 – Data Tables in What If Analysis

Now we will see the Data table. We will consider a very small example to understand better. Suppose we want to know the 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of 5000 similarly, we want to find the percentages for 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000 and 10000.

We have to get the percentages in each combination. In these situations, the Data table will help to find the output for a different combination of inputs. Here in Cell B3 should get 10% of 6000 and B4 10% of 7000 and so on. Now we will see how to achieve this. First, create a formula to perform this.

If we observe the above screenshot, the part marked with a box is the example. In A3, we have the formula to find the percentage from A1 and A2. So inputs are A1 and A2. Now take the result of A3 to A1 as shown in the below screenshot.

Now select the entire table to apply the Data table of What if Analysis as shown in the below screenshot.

Once selected, click on the “Data” then “What If Analysis” from that dropdown select data table.

Once you select “Data table”, the below pop-up will come.

In “Row Input cell”, give the cell address where the row inputs should input, which means here row inputs are 10, 20, 30,40, and 50. Similarly, give “Column input cell” as A2 here column inputs are 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, and 10,000. Click on “Ok”, then results will appear in the form of a table as shown below.

Things to Remember

• What if Analysis is available under the “Data” menu on the top.
• It will have 3 features 1. Scenario manager 2. Goal seeks and 3. Data table.
• Scenario manager helps to analyze different situations.
• Goal seek helps to know the right input value for the required output.
• Data table helps to get results of different inputs in row-wise and column-wise.

Recommended Articles

This is a guide on What if Analysis in Excel. Here we discuss three different tools in What if Analysis and the examples and downloadable excel template. You may also look at the following articles to learn more –

1. Pareto Analysis in Excel
2. Excel Quick Analysis
3. Excel Regression Analysis
4. Excel Tool for Data Analysis