A PivotTable can refresh successfully and still omit new rows if those rows are outside its source range. Check what the report reads before deciding that its totals are wrong because of a broken formula.

This workflow is for a PivotTable based on a worksheet range or table in desktop Excel for Windows. Data Model and external-source reports have different connection controls. Save a working copy and note the total you expected, the reporting period and one newly added record that should contribute.

Check the source, then refresh

Click inside the PivotTable and use PivotTable Analyze, Change Data Source to inspect the table or range. Compare its boundaries with the actual last row and required columns. If the range stops before the new records, extend it deliberately and confirm the selection.

For a table source, verify that the new records are inside that table rather than merely adjacent to it. Do not assume visual proximity establishes membership.

Right-click the PivotTable and choose Refresh. Excel also provides ribbon refresh controls. Refresh settings and automatic behaviour vary, so an explicit refresh is a useful step when checking a report before distribution.

Reconcile one record and the whole report

Locate the category and reporting period for your known new record. Check whether its contribution is now included. Review report filters too: an in-range record can still be outside the displayed selection.

Compare the updated total with a separate calculation over the intended source records. Use the same date range and inclusion rules; otherwise, two correct calculations can disagree because they answer different questions.

If you added or removed major source columns, reconsider the report layout rather than treating refresh as a redesign tool. Document the source and reporting rule with the workbook. For the next cycle, repeat the last-row check and known-record test before issuing the figures.

References: Microsoft: refreshing PivotTables, Microsoft: changing PivotTable source data.