Using Excel, is there a quick method for summing atom counts after joining data tables with crosswalk tables? I’m working with thousands of records and am hoping to not take days to go through this process.
By summing atom counts, do you mean that you want to sum characteristics, such as population counts, across intersecting geographic units (e.g., intersections of block groups and census tracts)?
If so, a quick method in Excel may be to create a pivot table from the joined tables. The pivot table option is available in the far-left of the toolbar in Excel after selecting Insert. Using a crosswalk with intersections of block groups and census tracts that include with your characteristics of interest, you can customize your table by dragging the identifier for the larger area (e.g., census tract) to the rows field and the characteristic that you would like to summarize to the values field. This Microsoft support guide dives deeper into the different options available with creating pivot tables.