How to use the cross foot table checker
- Paste your table, copied from a spreadsheet or typed with spaces, tabs or commas between cells.
- Tick whether the first row is headings, the first column is labels, the last column is a total and the last row is a total.
- Pick how cells are separated, or let the tool detect it.
- Read the list of totals that do not match, with the stated total, the computed total and the difference.
Formula
row check: stated row total vs the sum of the numbers in the row
column check: stated column total vs the sum of the numbers in the column
grand total check: the corner vs the sum of the row totals, and vs the sum of the column totals
a difference divisible by 9 may point to two swapped digits
Numbers are read as exact counts of the smallest decimal unit, up to four decimal places, so there is no rounding error. Brackets and a trailing minus mean negative.
A typing slip
The default table has rows North 10, 20, 30 with total 60, and South 5, 5, 5 with total 15, and column totals 15, 25, 35 and a grand total 75. All 7 totals agree. Change North Q2 from 20 to 2 and two checks fail: the North row adds up to 42, not 60, and the Q2 column adds up to 7, not 25. Both differences are 18, which is divisible by 9, a sign that digits may have been swapped or dropped.
A table of money with brackets for negatives, such as Sales 1,200.50 and 1,300.25 and Refunds (100.00) and (50.25) with totals, uses two decimal places and agrees. If a corner total is lower than the row totals add up to, the difference is shown in brackets.
Footing and cross footing
Adding down a column is called footing, and adding across a row is called cross footing. If both ways agree on the grand total, the table is internally consistent. If they disagree, one of the numbers or totals is wrong. A mismatch in a row and another in a column that share a cell point to that cell.
For debits and credits, use the Trial Balance Checker. If you know the difference but not the cause, the Subset Sum Reconciliation Finder looks for entries that add up to it. The Bank Reconciliation Template and the CSV Statistics tool help with the rest of the checking.
Pasting from a spreadsheet
Copying cells from a spreadsheet gives tab-separated text, which the tool detects. If you type commas between numbers, do not use thousands commas in the same table, or choose spaces as the separator. Blank cells count as zero, and a cell that is not a number stops the check with a message that names it.
Assumptions and limits
- Every cell in the number area is a number or blank.
- At most four decimal places are used, and all numbers share the same scale.
- The corner cell is checked only if both a total row and a total column are ticked.
- Up to 100,000 characters are accepted and nothing is uploaded.
- A matching table is consistent, but it does not prove that the numbers are right.
Frequently asked questions
What does a difference divisible by 9 mean?
When two digits are swapped in a whole number, the error is always a multiple of 9. The reverse is not certain, so treat it as a hint.
Why does the tool check the corner two ways?
The grand total should equal both the sum of the row totals and the sum of the column totals. If one agrees and the other does not, the error is in a row or column total.
Can I check a table with no total row?
Yes. Untick the total row and check only the total column, or the other way round.
How are negative numbers read?
A minus sign in front, a trailing minus, or brackets all mean negative.