This document discusses PivotTables and PivotCharts. It explains that PivotTables allow users to quickly summarize and analyze large amounts of data by categories and subcategories. PivotTables are interactive reports generated from a database that automatically extract, organize and summarize data. They allow users to view different perspectives of summarized data by rotating row and column headings. PivotCharts provide a graphical representation of PivotTable data to help analyze trends. The document then demonstrates how to create PivotTables and PivotCharts using sample project data from Ghana, and emphasizes experimenting with the data to tell an effective story.

1. Working with PivotTable & PivotChart
KingstonTagoe
Techpreneur & IT Consultant

2. PivotTable
A Pivot table report is an interactive table that can
be used to quickly summarize, analyze and present
large amounts of data by categories and
subcategories.
You might want to use a PivotTable report if you
wish to compare related totals, especially when you
have a long list of figures to summarize and you
want to compare several facts about each figure

3. PivotTable
Projects Data
PivotTable

4. More about PivotTable
• It’s a dynamic summary report generated from a database.
• It automatically extracts, organizes, and summarizes your data,
allowing you to see the big picture – Instantly converts a mass of
data into a nicely summarized table.
• Most innovative aspect: its interactivity – can rotate (i.e., pivot) the
table’s row and column headings around the core data area to give
you different views of your summarized data.

5. Advantages of PivotTable
• Creating a pivot table takes only a few seconds and doesn’t require a
single formula.
• A single button click is all it takes to convert the data into an interactive
pivot chart – Provides a graphical representation of the data in the
pivot table.
• You can use either or both reports to analyze the data, make
comparisons, detect patterns and relationships, and discover trends,
all while customizing the summary, layout, format, and detail of each
report.

6. Drawbacks on PivotTable
Minor drawback: Unlike a formula-based summary report, a
pivot tables does not automatically update when you change
the source data.
Solution does exist: A single click of the Refresh button on the
PivotTable toolbar forces a pivot table to update and use the
latest data.

7. PivotTable Labs
Using sample data to understand need for PivotTables
Understanding elements of the PivotTable
Creating and working with PivotTable
Creating a Pivot Chart
Case study: projects under each successive Gov’t
Summary: tips, skills and tricks

8. Working with Sample Data
Go to this link: bit.ly/data-j
Download Projects in Ghana.xlsx
Open this workbook in MS Excel
Have a look around this data

9. Creating a PivotTable
You create a pivot table using the
PivotTable Wizard.
Access the wizard by highlighting your
data range, select data drop menu and
go to Tables
Select PivotTable from the options
available
Data drop-menu

10. Creating a PivotTable
Also you can use the Insert menu to create a PivotTable.
Go to the Insert tab menu in the ribbon, then choose
PivotTable under Tables
PivotTable sub-menu

11. Elements of the PivotTable
Year Filter
Item Filter
Column Fields
Data Items
Row Fields

12. DataVisualization & PivotCharts

13. DataVisualization
Helping people to make meaning of data by giving
it a visual context.
It helps see patterns, trends and correlations that might be
missed in text-based reports and which can be recognized
easily with data visualization

14. DataVisualization
Word Cloud Heat Map

15. Creating a Pivot Chart
You create a pivot table using the
PivotChart Wizard.
Go to Insert, then proceed to
PivotChart under the Charts sub-menu
Pivot Chart sub-menu

16. In Summary
Here’s a helpful outline to follow when creating pivot tables and pivot charts:
1. Organize your data
2. Know what you want to do with your data
o What story am I looking to tell?
3. Use the PivotTable and PivotChart Wizard and assemble the PivotTable
4. Keep experimenting until you’ve got something good enough. Reworking your
data is actually the secret to creating good pivot tables and pivot charts