What Is Pivot Table In Excel
Contents
What is a PivotTable used for Excel?
A PivotTable is a powerful tool to calculate, summarize, and analyze data that lets you see comparisons, patterns, and trends in your data. PivotTables work a little bit differently depending on what platform you are using to run Excel.
What is the difference between a table and a pivot table in Excel?
An Excel table is basically just a very simple database, consisting of one table. It has data elements (columns) and a set of members having those data elements (rows). It is detailed at the row level. A Pivot Table is a reporting and summation tool that gives you information *about* an Excel table.
What VLOOKUP means?
What is VLOOKUP in Excel? – VLOOKUP stands for Vertical Lookup. As the name specifies, VLOOKUP is a built-in Excel function that helps you look for a specified value by searching for it vertically across the sheet. VLOOKUP in Excel may sound complicated, but you will find out that it is a very easy and useful tool once you try it. In the next section, you will understand how to use the VLOOKUP function.
Can pivot tables analyze data?
How to analyze data with a pivot table? – One of the main benefits of pivot tables is that they let you analyze data from different perspectives and angles. You can do this by changing the fields, filters, values, or layout of your pivot table. For example, you can compare data across different categories, such as regions, products, or months.
What are Vlookups and pivot tables used for?
This tool helps shorten the data and helps analyze the data categorize-wise and create a customized group. On the other hand, VLOOKUP is a function used in Excel when you are required to find things/values in data or range by row. This article looks at how to use VLOOKUP within the PivotTable.
Are pivot tables better than formulas?
Data Analysis in Excel: PivotTables versus COUNTIFS, SUMIFS, AVERAGEIFS formulas Data structured in a table format often makes it easy to analyze it and make better decisions. Data analysis in Excel can be done by using formulas like COUNTIFS, SUMIFS, and AVERAGEIFS, but Excel’s PivotTables make it a breeze organizing and presenting data.
- In this article, we’re going to compare the two approaches for analyzing data in Excel, using formulas and PivotTables.
- Let’s assume we have a spreadsheet that contains employee data, and we want to find the average base salaries by department, to create an annual report.
- You can download this data set by clicking the button below.
We can calculate this by using a handful of AVERAGEIF(S) functions. However, data needs to be organized first for use in AVERAGEIFS functions. First step is getting the department names from the table and remove the duplicate values to get a list of unique items.
- Sorting the department names
- Add titles
- Summarize row
- Bold characters for title and total rows
- Background colors
- Borders
- Adjusting to column widths
- Number formatting that matches the type of the data (e.g. Currency)
Finally, we can start adding the formulas. We can use references from the Department names in AVERAGEIFS formulas when selecting department names. We could also use the AVARAGEIF function, but the AVERAGEIFS function can accept more than one criteria and this is generally a better approach from a future-proofing perspective.
We used to make the formulas easier to read and manage. While Base_Salary named range represents the range that contains the base salary values, Department represents the column of department names. The last step is adding a formula for summary calculation which will give us the averages. Dividing the sum of base salary values by the count of rows gives the average values we need.
Let’s now analyze the same data using PivotTable, Begin by selecting the cell to be the top left cell of your PivotTable and click the PivotTable icon under the INSERT tab on the ribbon.
- Add the reference for your data into the Create PivotTable dialog box and click OK to create your PivotTable.
Next, we’re going to add the columns we want to display and add number formatting. That’s it! The PivotTables are very easy to create and configure. You do not need to add any formulas and data analysis features can be added directly through table controls.
- Adding columns if there is additional content at the end of the table
- Update the format like borders, background colors and number formats.
- Repeat the copy-paste process and Remove Duplicates for the state values
- Edit the titles
- Modifying the existing formulas, we will end up with the updated calculations.
This step requires a closer attention. We must use an Absolute-Relative reference combination to preserve the calculation results. You might also want to add an IFFERROR function or conditional formatting to prevent error messages from being displayed for empty cells.
After dealing with the possible errors, once again, we need to update the formula to calculate values for the summary row. Finally, our table shows 2 levels of filtered consolidated values of our base data. Let’s now see how a 2 nd level of data can be added into this PivotTable, All you need to do is drag & drop the secondary data.
You can change the calculation logic or filtering with a few clicks. Filters, also known as slicers can also be added with a click. Slicers are filters of PivotTables that can be linked multiple PivotTables and PivotCharts, You can insert any column of your data as a slicer and filter your data.
- They are faster, especially with large datasets.
- Formulas can use at most 127 conditions, PivotTables can handle much more as much as memory allows.
- Easy to apply visualization options.
- PivotCharts that can visualize data are just as easy to create as PivotTables
- You can group any data field without any additional formulas.
: Data Analysis in Excel: PivotTables versus COUNTIFS, SUMIFS, AVERAGEIFS formulas
Can you use a pivot table as a table?
Pivot tables are reports that, above all, are used to interpret data based on given criteria. Sometimes a pivot table can also be used as a data source to make one or more new pivot tables. This usually happens when you want to create a pivot table from an existing business report, based on a query to the transaction database, and thus use the data that are available in initial pivot table. Such a table is suitable to be a source. Next, you need to select the option to create a new pivot table, and then mark the range of cells that make up the one we created earlier. The result is a pivot table in which it is possible to use only the reporting dimensions that were available in the previous one. By changing the original pivot table, the newly created one also changes!
How many types of pivot charts are there?
1 Aug 2022 10 minutes to read Essential PivotChart ASP.NET supports 18 different types of chart as follows:
- Column
- Stacking column
- Bar
- Stacking bar
- Pie
- Pyramid
- Funnel
- Line
- Step line
- Spline
- Area
- Step area
- Spline area
- Stacking area
- Doughnut
- Scatter
- Bubble
- WaterFall
What are the four areas of a pivot chart?
Create by PivotTables Button – If you are more familiar with pivot tables, or simply wish to create one from the ground up, this button allows you select and reorganize the data however you want to see the data interpreted. Follow these steps to create a PivotTable from scratch.
- Open an Excel worksheet containing data for the PivotTable tool and select a cell anywhere in the data set.
- Click the Insert tab, and the PivotTable button on the ribbon. Excel will automatically select the data it identifies as the information for this table.
- If the selected area missed data, start again by clicking on the beginning data table cell, drag the cursor over all the desired data to select. Once the area is selected, click the PivotTable button under the Insert tab, Tables Group.
- Another option to select the correct table data: Click on the PivotTable button and open the Create PivotTable dialog box, In the box under the “Choose the data you want to analyze” area, type in the table/range area for the table; for example ‘Sales Orders’!$A$1:$G$4, or drag the cursor over the data area for the table and the range will be added to the Table/Range field.
- After making sure the data selected is correct, select New Worksheet option, and click the OK,
- A new worksheet is created. On the right side of the worksheet, a PivotTable Fields task pane is open. In it are four areas (Filters, Columns, Rows, and Values) where various field names can be placed to create a PivotTable. The task pane also includes a checklist area of the fields from which to choose from the data.
- Drag one field name into different areas to create a PivotTable. Alternatively, you can check the boxes for fields to be added to the table. Each of the areas operate in the following manner in a PivotTable:
- Columns: The filed used to measure and compare data.
- Rows: The field for data you want to analyze.
- Values: The field containing the values a table uses for comparisons.
- Filter (optional): A field used to sort table data. It is displayed in the upper left corner of a table and is an optional field for tables.
- The PivotTable in the screenshot above is created based on the sales data of these fields added to these areas:
- Columns: Region
- Rows: Item
- Values: Sum of Unit Sales
- Rearrange fields in a variety of ways by dragging them into a new area or clicking the option in the list of fields above the areas. Each action will affect the PivotTable. Move fields around into new areas until you have created a table giving you the best insight into your data. Congratulations! You have created a PivotTable from scratch.
What is a disadvantage of using a pivot?
Disadvantages of Using Pivot Tables –
Mastering pivot tables takes time – Sure, creating a pivot table requires a few clicks inside Excel but truly mastering the tool takes time. First-time users of pivot tables might see it as confusing and overwhelming. Only when you have “tamed the beast” can you properly use it for data analysis. Can be time-consuming to use – Depending on how you would like to use your data within the pivot table, using it can actually take some time. This is because the tool itself does not include a robust collection of calculation options. This means the user is required to manually calculate the data or to manually input equations which can take some time. There are no automatic updates – Unless you regularly update your pivot table with new data, you are relying on old data for your metrics and analytics. This means it will be hard to rely on pivot tables for real-time analytics. Older computers might not be able to handle large data sets – When you are working with a couple of thousand lines of data then any computer will do just fine. But once you hit the tens of thousands mark, old computers might struggle to produce the data that you need. It’s also not rare to see computers crash just because they can’t handle the amount of data they are processing.
So what do you think? Are pivot tables for you? Note that a lot of the disadvantages can easily be addressed with a couple of tweaks or upgrades. Once you cover the disadvantages, you will have an indispensable tool in your arsenal that can help you defeat the competition.
- While they can’t really help teach your employees how to make pivot tables, the team behind 360 Smart Networks can certainly help you with other IT-related concerns.
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Call us today and ask us how you can get your business pivot table ready.
Why do we pivot data?
Data pivoting enables you to rearrange the columns and rows in a report so you can view data from different perspectives. For example, in the image below, the Inventory Received from Suppliers by Quarter report shows a set of data spread across the screen in a large grid display. If you pivot the objects on the report, so that the objects that were in the columns are now in the rows, and the objects that were in the rows are now in the columns, much of the data is easier to read and compare, as shown in the image below. For example, in this pivoted report it is simpler to analyze total units received each quarter within a subcategory of books, because the totals are listed in a single column, making them easy to compare. Any anomalies in the numbers quickly become apparent.
Move an object (a business attribute or a metric calculation) and its related data from a row to a column. Move an object (a business attribute or a metric calculation) and its related data from a column to a row. Change the order of objects in the rows. Change the order of objects in the columns.
All metrics are kept together on a report, so they must be moved as a group when pivoting data. For example, on a grid report you cannot move one metric to a row and another to a column. For graph reports, metrics must all be together on only one axis. To pivot metric data, select the word “Metric” in the header to move all metrics together.
How many formulas in Excel?
Excel has 450+ functions that can do a range of awesome things. If you’ve used Excel even for a few days, I am sure you have heard of functions like VLOOKUP, SUMIF, COUNTIF, and so on. And what is more awesome is that one Excel function – a formula that consists of two, three, or more functions.
- With a combination of functions, you can create some advanced Excel formulas that can do some incredibly advanced things with a press of a key.
- So if you’re an Excel aficionado like me, I am sure you’re going to love this article.
- In this article, I will cover the 20 advanced Excel functions you should know.
I will also share examples of some advanced formulas you can create with these advanced functions. A quick note about advanced functions/formulas: By advanced, I mean functions that would need some know-how and are not usually used by basic Excel users (such as SUM or COUNT).
What is the main purpose of a pivot table in Excel quizlet?
PivotTables enable you to change the structure of your data to emphasize different aspects of that data. You can include a summary to a table by selecting: Total Row from the Design contextual tab.