Microsoft Excel Tips: Percentage calculation with one click using Quick Analysis

In this tutorial, you will learn how to calculate percentages quickly and easily with the quick analysis in Excel. The quick analysis is a practical tool that allows you to apply various analyses and formatting to your data with just a few clicks. Here we show you step by step how to calculate and display percentages.

Traditional way of calculating percentages

Before we get to the quick analysis, let's take a quick look at the traditional way of calculating percentages in Excel.

1. Enter the percentage formula:
   • Suppose you want to calculate the percentage of a turnover (e.g. in cell D8) in relation to the total turnover. You enter the following formula in a cell:excelCopy code=D8/total sales
   • Where "Total turnover" stands for the cell that contains the total turnover.
2. Adjust the formula:
   • Press the Enter key. Excel initially displays the value as a decimal number. To change this, click on the percentage sign (%) in the ribbon to display the value as a percentage.
3. Copy formula:
   • If you want to copy the formula to other cells, you must ensure that the reference to the total sales is absolute. You can do this by selecting the cell with the formula, clicking in the formula and pressing the F4 key. This will add dollar signs ($) that fix the cell absolutely (e.g. $D$8).
   • Now drag the formula down to apply the calculation to additional rows.

Percentage with the quick analysis

The traditional way can be time-consuming. With the quick analysis in Excel, it is much faster and easier. This is how it works:

1. Select the data range:
   • Select the range of cells for which you want to calculate the percentages. This could be the turnover of the individual rows, for example.
2. Open quick analysis:
   • Once you have selected the data range, a small icon for the quick analysis will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of the selected range. Click on this icon to open the quick analysis tool.
3. Select the percentage:
   • In the quick analysis menu, you will see various options such as "Format", "Charts", "Totals", "Tables" and "Sparklines". Select the "Totals" tab.
   • Click on "Result" to select the percentage. Excel will now automatically calculate the percentage of each selected cell in relation to the total of the selected range.
4. Check the results:
   • Excel will now display the corresponding percentages in the selected cells. You can immediately see what proportion of sales each individual value has in relation to the total.

Advantages of the quick analysis

• Time saving: The quick analysis allows you to perform percentages and other calculations with just a few clicks, without having to enter complex formulas.
• Visual support: In addition to calculating percentages, Quick Analysis also offers visual tools such as bar charts and sparklines to help you quickly identify trends and patterns in your data.
• Ease of use: Quick Analysis is intuitive and does not require in-depth Excel knowledge, making it suitable for beginners.

Conclusion

Quick Analysis in Excel is a powerful tool that helps you perform complex calculations and formatting quickly and efficiently. With this function, you can not only calculate percentages, but also use many other analyses and visualizations to better understand and present your data. Use the quick analysis to speed up and simplify your work in Excel.

We hope this tutorial has helped you to better understand and use quick analysis in Excel. Try it out for yourself and discover how much easier your work with Excel can become!