Pivot Tables Enable you to analyze your data (such as sum, filter, sort, group, drill-down) without writing complex calculations.
Checklist Before Creating a Pivot Table
Make sure your data is in a Data List format
Each column has a header
No empty columns in your data table
No summations embedded in your data table
Rename Pivot Headers
Instead of Sum of Sales in the Pivot field header, change this to your preferred text.
Double-click on Values to Get the Full List
To get a list of each line of data making up the value shown in the Pivot Table, you can double-click the cell value. This creates a new sheet with all the rows of data that make up the aggregated value.
No Refresh Needed
Pivot tables automatically refresh once the source data change.
Account for Future Data
To ensure future data is automatically included expand the source range.
For example if the data is from A4:D150, you could expand to A4:D200 or A4:D to include all rows.
To remove null values from the Pivot table result add a filter condition to only show values where a field in not empty.
Add a Slicer
Slicers add an additional level of interactivity to Pivot tables by adding an adjustable filter directly to the sheet.
* Note - This is also available in your course notes.