How to Create, Interpret and Use PivotTable in Excel

How to Create, Interpret and Use
PivotTable in Microsoft Excel ( 2010)
By: Vangie Ren

What is a PivotTable?
(c) Extraordinary VP | vangieren.com

A PivotTable is an interactive
table that summarizes and
analyzes data from existing
lists, tables, and databases.

Given a PivotTable report,
the user can rotate its rows
and columns to see
different summaries of the
source data,

filter the data by displaying
different pages, or display
the details for areas of
interest.

Creating a
PivotTable Report

Before creating a pivotTable,
consider the questions you
want to answer, or which
information you wish to
extract from your data.

This step will determine
how you should
construct the table.

You can start
opening the file in
two ways

By going to the file in
your directory and open
it

Or by opening Excel
from your desktop/
taskbar

In Excel, go to File then
Open

Go to the location of the
file

Click Open

Under Insert menu, click
PivotTable
icon

This automatically selects your
entire
data

Don’t change the default
information in the box

Click OK

Blank pivotTable shown

Elements of a
PivotTable Report

Report Field - A field that
is assigned to a page
orientation in a
PivotTable report.

Row Field - A field that is
assigned to a row
orientation in a
PivotTable report.

Column Field - A field
that is assigned to a
column orientation in a
PivotTable report.

Value Field - A field from a
source list or database that
contains data to be summarized.
A data field usually contains
numeric data, such as statistics or
sales amounts, but it can also
contain text.

Item - A subcategory or
member of a PivotTable
field

Data Area - The part of a
PivotTable report that
contains summary data. The
cells of the data area shows
summarized data for the
items in the row and column
fields.

PivotTable Field List - is
a window that lists all of
the fields from the
source data for use in
the PivotTable report.

Upon opening a
PivotTable report, the
PivotTable Field List is
displayed automatically
onscreen.

If you don’t see PivotTable
Field List, right click within the
pivot
area

and choose Show Field
List

Or go to menu Options
then Field List

Two Ways to
Create and Lay Out
a PivotTable Report

A. Using Drag-and-
drop Method

Drag-and-drop a field to
a Report Field

a Row Field

a Column Field

a Value Field

This area auto populates
everytime you drag-and-drop
a field

B. Using PivotTable
Field List
Functionality

Drag a field to a Report
Filter

Drag a field to a Row Labels

Drag a field to a Column Labels

Drag a field to a Values

This area auto fills once you
drag fields from PivotTable Field
List

To rearrange fields, drag it
from one area to another

To remove fields, drag and drop
it out from PivotTable Field List

Or uncheck the field in the
PivotTable Field list

Displaying or
Hiding Items in a
PivotTable Report

Click this to hide/show
items on each field

Select this for each item
that you want to show

Uncheck this for each item
that you want to hide

For Report Field, you can
check this to select multiple
items

Sorting and filtering
of items and values
in a PivotTable
Report

You can sort items either
in ascending or
descending order in Row,
Column and Values
Fields.

Click this to show this
box

Choose the order of
sorting

Items are now sorted
with this indicator

You can click this to show
Sort Options

Click OK when done

Use Label Filter for
Column and Row Fields
to sort out items that you
want to display in your
report

Click Label Filters

Choose what type of filters

Input what to filter

You can also change your
label filter here

Hit OK

Filtered items

To remove the filter, click
Clear
Filter

Use Value Filter to filter
out the values that you
want to display in your
report

Click Value Filters

Choose from below
criteria

Enter the value to filter
out

Here is the result

To remove the filter, click
this

Using Slicer in a
PivotTable Report

You can use Slicers tool to
make your PivotTable even
easier to work with. It lets
you select the data to show
in the PivotTable in a more
visual way.

Click inside the pivotTable
report

Go to Options menu and
click Insert Slicer

Click the checkbox for each
Slicer to add to the worksheet

To filter the PivotTable,
click an item in the Slicer.

To view multiple items at
once, Ctrl-click each item
you want to see.

The items you're viewing will
be colored in the Slicer

This indicates that the Slicer
is filtering the data in the
PivotTable

Click the icon if you want to
remove that filter

To format Slicer, go to
Options menu then Slicer
Style

You can create different
style for each item

Using Drill Down to
View the Data

PivotTables have a built-
in drill-down feature that
allows you to analyze
the data and understand
it better.

Double-click a value in a
PivotTable to drill down

A new worksheet
appears containing the
values contributed to it

Other Calculations
on Your PivotTable
Data

You can set a PivotTable
to show calculations
other than the Sum.

Go to the value field in
the pivotTable

click Field Settings

Select the type of
calculation from the list

You can change the setting how
the values are displayed also

Refreshing Data

Whenever you change
anything in your data
source, you need to
refresh the pivotTable
report to update that
change.

Click the pivotTable
report

click Refresh

Result

Creating a
PivotChart Based
on Your PivotTable

Click anywhere in the
pivotTable

Choose Insert and select
the chart style

This chart displays the
data from the pivotTable

When you later update the
data in the PivotTable by
using Slicers, or by
changing the table layout,
the chart will automatically
change to match.

“An investment in
knowledge pays the
best interest.”
- Benjamin Franklin

End of Tutorial

How to Create, Interpret and Use PivotTable in Excel

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