Working with Tables

Tables give you the exact numbers, with totals, subtotals and color cues that make the rows that matter stand out.

18 min readUpdated November 2, 2026

A table puts the exact numbers on the board, row by row. Golden tables do more than list values: they add subtotals and a grand total, paint cells with color scales and data bars, flag rows that break a rule, and let your viewers search and sum on the fly.

Use them when someone needs to read the number, not just see the shape.

A Regional Performance dashboard with a table of Sales, Profit and Quantity by Region and Category: blue data bars on Sales, a red-to-green color scale on Profit, low quantities in red, a subtotal under each region and a Total row at the bottom

When to use a table

The quarterly region review. Your sales lead wants Sales, Profit and Quantity for every region and category, with a subtotal per region and a total at the bottom. That's one table.
Spotting the problem rows. Finance scans 12 rows of profit. A color scale turns the one loss (Central Furniture, -$2,802) bright red before anyone reads a digit.
The lookup. An ops manager types "Technology" in the table's search box and gets just those rows, with the subtotals and total redone for what's left.
The detail under the chart. A bar chart shows which region is up. The table under it gives the exact figures for anyone who asks "by how much?"

If people keep asking you to "send the numbers," give them a table.

Make a table

Add a chart to your dashboard (on a blank one, choose Begin in the fields).
Open the Table chart type menu and choose Table. The same menu has Pivot table and Heatmap.
Open Fields and drag fields onto the chart. Each one becomes a column: dimensions like Region and Category on the left, measures like Sales and Profit on the right.

The chart type menu open with Table, Pivot table and Heatmap

Golden names the table for you ("Sum of profit and sum of sales by category and region"). Click the title to change it.

From chat:

Show sales, profit and quantity by region and category as a table

Most of what you'll do to a table starts at its column headers. Hover a header and click the arrow beside the sort button.

The Sales column menu with Sort ascending, Sort descending, Pin column, Rename…, Align, Wrap text, Autofit width, Total, the Table totals section, Subtotals, and Conditional formatting open to Color scale, Data bars, Custom rules… and Clear formatting

Option	What it does
Sort ascending / descending	Sorts by this column. Click the header itself to cycle through the sorts.
Pin column	Freezes the column on the left so it stays put while you scroll sideways.
Rename…	Renames the header on this table only. The field keeps its name everywhere else.
Align	Left, center or right.
Wrap text	Wraps long values onto more lines instead of cutting them off.
Autofit width	Sizes the column to its content.
Total	How this column totals: Sum, Average, or No total.
Grand total row / Row total column	Turn on the table's totals (see below).
Subtotals	Groups the rows by a dimension and adds a subtotal per group.
Conditional formatting	Color scale, Data bars, Custom rules… or Clear formatting.

A column with settings shows a small badge in its header, so you can tell at a glance what's been changed.

Style the table

Select the table, open Options, and expand Table Formatting.

The Table Formatting section: Density, Column sizing, Gridlines, Row striping, Alternating columns, Bold header, Wrap header text, Header background and Header text

Option	What it does
Density	Row height: compact, cozy or roomy.
Column sizing	Fit content sizes columns to their values; Fill width stretches them across the card.
Gridlines	Cell borders, like a spreadsheet.
Row striping	Alternating row shading.
Alternating columns	The same idea, column by column.
Bold header	Bold column names.
Wrap header text	Long header names wrap instead of truncating.
Header background / Header text	Colors for the header row.

Density decides how much fits on screen. Compact is great for a long list on a busy board; Roomy reads better on a big screen in a meeting.

The same table at Compact, Cozy and Roomy density

Totals and subtotals

Under Options, Table Options holds the totals.

The Table Options totals: Grand total row on with Position, Background and Text; Row total column; Show subtotals on, grouped by Region; and Total by measure set to Auto (sum) for Sales, Profit and Quantity

Grand total row adds a Total row. Set its Position (top or bottom) and its Background and Text colors.
Row total column adds a total across each row, on the left or right.
Show subtotals groups rows by the column in Group by and adds a "Subtotal — Central (3 rows)" line under each group. A column sort then applies inside each group.
Total by measure sets how each number column totals: Auto (sum), Sum, Average, or No total. Use No total for things that don't add up, like a margin or a rate.

The hero table at the top has subtotals by Region and a grand total row at the bottom.

Conditional formatting

Conditional formatting colors cells by their values, column by column. Start from the column menu (Conditional formatting) or from Columns in Table Options.

Color scale shades each cell from low to high. Pick a palette: Traffic, Red–Blue, Purple–Green, Orange–Purple, Blue, Heat or Gray. Reverse colors flips it for columns where low is good (cost, returns).
Data bars draw a bar inside each cell, sized to its value: Blue, Green, Purple or Orange.
Custom rules… sets exact thresholds.

In the table at the top, Sales has blue data bars and Profit has the Traffic color scale.

Custom rules

Custom rules… opens a rule editor for one column. Each rule has a condition (Greater than, Greater or equal, Less than, Less or equal, Equals, Not equals, Between, Not between), a value, and a Fill and Text color. Preview shows the result before you commit.

The Conditional formatting dialog for Quantity with one rule: Less than 1500, a light red Fill and dark red Text

Add as many rules as you need with + Add rule. The first enabled rule that matches decides the cell, so put the most specific rule first. The switch on each rule turns it off without deleting it.

Tip: Rules and styles stack. Data bars on Sales plus a rule that turns negative profit red is a common pair.

Columns, one at a time

Columns in Table Options edits one column at a time: pick it from the list, then set Alignment, Wrap, Width (in pixels, or Auto) and Conditional formatting. The pencil beside the list renames the column. Reset all clears every column setting at once.

Search and quick math

Enable search (under Interaction) puts a Search box in the table's corner. Viewers type, and the table narrows to matching rows. Subtotals and totals recalculate for what's left.

The table searched for Technology: one row per region, each with its subtotal, and a Total of $839,893.28

Select a few cells (click one, Shift+click another) and the footer shows Count, Sum, Average, Min and Max for the selection. Handy for "what do these 3 add up to?" without building anything.

Three Sales cells selected for Central, with the footer reading Count 3, Sum $503,170.67, Average $167,723.56, Min $164,537.65, Max $170,416.31

Do it from chat

Chat can build tables and change everything above. Ask the way you'd ask an analyst.

Build

Show sales and profit by region and category as a table

Rename the Sales column to Revenue

Totals

Add a grand total row

Add subtotals by Region

Show the average for Discount instead of the sum

Highlight

Add data bars to Sales

Put a color scale on Profit

Highlight negative profit in red and bold anything over 50K

Data bars on Sales, color scale on Profit

Style

Make the table compact with gridlines

Pin the Region column

Turn on search

A few things chat does on purpose:

It only touches the columns you name. "Add data bars" with no column goes on every number column that doesn't already have a different style. Name the column to change one that does.
Thresholds are rules, not color scales. "Red below 0" becomes a custom rule on that column.
Subtotals need the column in the table. Ask for subtotals by a dimension that isn't there and chat adds it to the rows in the same step.

Viewers see the formatting you set: totals, subtotals, colors, bars and rules all carry into the published dashboard.
Search and the selection footer work for viewers too, so they can look things up without editing anything.
Dashboard filters apply. Filter to one region and every row, subtotal and total recalculates.

FAQ

Why does my total look wrong for a percentage column? Totals add by default. For a rate or a margin, set that column's total to Average or No total.

Can I color one column and leave the rest alone? Yes. Every style and rule is per column. Use the column's own menu, or pick it under Columns.

Does renaming a column rename the field? No. Rename… changes the header on this table only.

What's the difference between a table and a pivot table? A table lists rows with each field as a column. A pivot table crosses one dimension against another (regions down, years across). Both are in the same chart type menu.