Steps

1. 1

Start Microsoft Excel.

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2. 2

Download the data used for this exercise at PivotTable source file so you can follow along.

3. 3

Click on the Data menu and choose PivotTable and PivotChart Report.

PivotTables command - Click to enlarge

4. 4
Answer the questions presented as follows:

Questions, Questions - Click to enlarge

5. 5

Specify the location of the data you are going to summarize. If you have your data in an Excel list that is
currently open, Excel will automatically select the cell range.

6. 6

Click Next.

7. 7

Ensure the New Worksheet option is selected after you click Next from the previous step, and then
click Finish.
 Final step in creating a PivotTable - Click to enlarge

8. 8

Assemble the PivotTable. The PivotTable field list can be a lifesaver for new and advanced users alike.

PivotTable Field List - Click to enlarge

9. 9

Looking at the data, let's say you want to see how my sales representatives did. Add SalesRep field to
the Row area. To do that, click on SalesRep, change the dropdown to Row Area and click Add.
 SalesRep in the Row Area - Click to enlarge

10. 10

Next, add the Total field to the Data area.

SalesRep in the Row Area, and Total in the Data area - Click to enlarge

11. 11

That just tells you how much of everything they sold, but what if you want to see how much in each
category? Add the Category field to the Column area.

Category added to the Column area - Click to enlarge

 12. 12

Click to enlarge

Supposing you don't want the Condiments category as part of the analysis, click on the dropdown
arrow beside Category and deselect Condiments.

13. 13

Click OK. Notice how the Grand Totals have been recalculated to not include results from the Condiments
category...

No Condiments for you! - Click to enlarge

14. 14

To make a PivotTable look good, there are a multitude of AutoFormats available. Click on the Format
menu and choose AutoFormat.
 Autoformat PivotTables - Click to enlarge

15. 15

You're done, unless you want to do further analysis!

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edit Video

edit Tips

 If you use the Import Data command from the Data menu, you have more options on how to import
data ranging from Office Database connections, Excel files, Access databases, Text files, ODBC
DSN's, webpages, OLAP, XML/XSL, and more. Then you can use your data as you would an Excel
list.

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 If you click the Browse button in the dialog box from Step 7, Excel will allow you to browse to an
external Excel file but you will have to specify the cell range yourself. It's better to use the External
Data source instead.
 All columns need to have a "Name" in the field.
 There should not be any gaps between the "Name" row and the data.
 If you are using an AutoFilter (Under "Data", "Filter"), disable when creating the pivot table. It is alright
to re-enable after you have created the pivot table.
 Even though "pivot tables" are used widely, PivotTable is an officially licensed trademark of Microsoft.

edit Warnings

 If you are using data in an existing spreadsheet make sure that the range that you select has a unique
column name at top of each column of data.

edit Things You'll Need

 Microsoft Excel
 Data to consolidate
 Network connection for some kinds of external data.

edit Related wikiHows

 How to Consolidate in Excel

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 How to Recover a Corrupt Excel File
 How to Add Two Cells Already Containing Sum of Other Formulas
 How to Calculate the Day of the Week in Excel
 How to Merge Documents in Microsoft Word
 How to Create a Browse Tab in Excel

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Last edited:
November 24, 2010 by Writelf

Categories:
Featured Articles | Spreadsheets

Recent edits by: Wendy Weaver, VC, Leona (see all)

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