User Builds Own Auto Refresh Feature for Excel

Microsoft's Auto Refresh feature was announced over a year ago to address a common issue in Excel where PivotTables can become outdated. However, the feature has yet to be implemented in some versions of Excel.

Tony Phillips, an experienced Microsoft Office user and writer for How-to Geek, decided to take matters into his own hands and built his own version of Auto Refresh using VBA macros.

The macro, which he calls 'Live PivotTables,' allows users to refresh PivotTables automatically on a schedule without having to click a button every time. It also includes features such as the ability to toggle the feature on and off, store the name of the active workbook, and disable itself if the monitored workbook is closed.

Phillips notes that his implementation differs from Microsoft's proposed Auto Refresh feature in that it allows for more control over which workbooks are refreshed and how often. He also emphasizes the importance of refreshing PivotTables regularly to ensure accurate results.