How to Fix the “Consolidation Reference Is Not Valid” Error in Excel (Easy Steps)

Reason Behind the Error

When consolidating data from multiple worksheets in Excel, sometimes the data doesn’t have the same headings with matching column and row numbers. As a result, the “Consolidation reference is not valid” error occurs.

Dataset Overview

Let’s say, we have a dataset that contains information about several Sales representatives of XYZ group. The Name of the Sales representatives, their sales in several months, and the sales target are given in columns B, C, D, and E respectively. Sales in several years are taken in several worksheets. We will sum up the sales in different years within a worksheet using the consolidate command. Here’s an overview of the dataset:

Step 1 – Use Consolidate Command

• Select a cell (e.g., B4) for convenience.

• Go to the Data ribbon, then navigate to Data Tools → Consolidate.

• A dialog box named Consolidate will appear.

Step 2 – Consolidate Data with Proper Headings

• In the Reference typing box, type ‘Sales 2019’!$B$4:$E$14 and press Add to import data from the sheet named 2019.

• Repeat for other years: type ‘Sales 2020’!$B$4:$E$14 and ‘Sales 2021’!$B$4:$E$14.

• Check Top row and Left column and select Create links to source data.
• Press OK.

• By following these steps, you’ll be able to resolve the error.

Things to Remember

#N/A! error occurs when a formula or function fails to find referenced data.

#DIV/0! error happens when a value is divided by zero or the cell reference is blank.

Download Practice Workbook

You can download the practice workbook from here:

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