[SOLVED] Excel pivot table error: data source reference is invalid

Many Excel users have reported seeing an error creating pivot tables in Excel workbook. The full error message is as follows:

"Data source reference is not valid."

In a detailed investigation, the error is seen when:

• The file name contains invalid characters.
• The file is opened from Internet Explorer.

If you are seeing this problem on your system, don’t panic. This article covers the fixes to overcome the The data source reference is invalid error.

Solution 1: Remove the invalid characters from the file name.

The most common reason to see this error is when the file name contains invalid characters. The following characters when present in the file name are invalid

< > ? [ ] : | *.

If you see that your filename contains one of these characters, consider removing them.

For example, if the file name is Standing out[1], consider renaming it Excel_1

To rename the file, do the following:

1. The right button of the mouse in the problem file.

2. Choose Rename.

3. Give a valid name and press Get into.

Now, check if you can create pivot tables.

Solution 2: save files opened from Internet Explorer.

When you open the file from Internet Explorer, a copy of that file is created in the temporary directory. This copy is renamed with square brackets. An error appears because the file name contains invalid characters (brackets).

To avoid the error, click Save money. Save the file first and then try to make changes.

That’s it.

We hope this article has been informative. Thank you for reading.

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