Before I get started about how to make a Pivot Table, you may want to know why you’d use it. Here are some a few of the most common reasons people use the Pivot Table:
- It can be easier than working with complicated formulas.
- You can summarizing rows of unreadable data into a chart you can use.
- Perfect for tracking product sales by location, customer demographics, etc.
- You can impress your boss, co-workers, or statistically-inclined friends with a informative and efficient reports.
Now, what you’ve been waiting for! Here’s how you make and use Excel’s Pivot Table function.
1. Open your spreadsheet and start by removing any blank rows or columns.
2. Make sure each column has a heading, because they’ll be carried over to the Field List.
3. Make sure your cells are formatted the right way for their data type.
4. Highlight your data range.
5. Click the Insert tab.
6. Select the PivotTable button from the Tables group.
7. Select PivotTable from the list.
The Create PivotTable dialog will appear.
8. Double-check your Table/Range: value.
9. Select the radio button for New Worksheet.
10. Click OK.
A new worksheet opens with a blank pivot table. You’ll see that the fields from our source spreadsheet were carried over to the PivotTable Field List.
11. Drag an item such as PRECINCT from the PivotTable Field List down to the Row Labels quadrant. The left side of your Excel spreadsheet should show a row for each precinct value. You should also see a checkmark appear next to PRECINCT.
12. The next step is to ask what you would like to know about each precinct. I’ll drag the PARTY field from the PivotTable Field List to the Column Labels quadrant. This will provide an additional column for each party. Note that you won’t see any numerical data.
13. To see the count for each party, I need to drag the same field to the Values quadrant. In this case, Excel determines I want a Count of PARTY. I could double-click the entry and choose another Field Setting. Excel has also added Grand Totals.
And there it is folks, your introduction to the Pivot Table. Get practicing, as this may be on our next exam 😉
