What is a pivot table you may ask? A pivot table is a powerful data analysis tool used in spreadsheets (like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets) to summarize, analyze, explore, and present large datasets. It allows users to organize and aggregate data in a way that makes it easier to identify trends, patterns, and insights. Pivot tables are especially helpful when dealing with complex data that would be difficult to analyze manually.
A site I found that was really useful in breaking down what a pivot table is and why they are useful was from Polymer. What is a Pivot Table? Guide (Excel & Google) · Polymer · Polymer. This site even gave some real-life examples of when a pivot table would be used. For example:
1.Identifying your top-performing sales agents based on the value and volume of transactions.
2.Tracking the average transaction value across different customer segments.
3.Analyzing marketing or advertising campaigns in terms of leads generated, spending, and so on.
4.Highlighting the biggest business expenses per month, quarter, or year.
“Some of the best tools for building pivot tables utilize functions like SUM, AVERAGE, and MEDIAN to help answer data-related questions. The use of interactive elements, like filters and “sort” buttons, also differentiates pivot tables from regular, non-interactive tables”(POLYMER).
There is a youtube video that shows how to create your own pivot table using Excell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkmxrvIfDGA&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.polymersearch.com%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ
and also a video link of how to create one using Google Sheets https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=Tty0RyD1KLw&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.polymersearch.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY.
Here is an example of a Dataset that was more concisely organized into a pivot table and therefore easier to read and easier on the eyes if you ask me.
Step 1 Example Dataset:
| Date | Product | Region | Sales Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-01 | Widget A | North | 100 |
| 2024-01-01 | Widget B | South | 150 |
| 2024-01-02 | Widget A | East | 120 |
| 2024-01-02 | Widget B | North | 200 |
| 2024-01-03 | Widget A | South | 90 |
| 2024-01-03 | Widget C | East | 130 |
| 2024-01-04 | Widget C | North | 180 |
| 2024-01-04 | Widget B | South | 220 |
Step 2: Resulting Pivot Table
| Product | East | North | South | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widget A | 120 | 100 | 90 | 310 |
| Widget B | 0 | 200 | 370 | 570 |
| Widget C | 130 | 180 | 0 | 310 |
| Grand Total | 250 | 480 | 460 | 1190 |
So, if you’re trying to display a large quantity data set, with a lot of different numbers and you’re trying to figure out the best way to do this… don’t just settle and clump all the data together on a report page. Rather PIVOT that plan and make yourself a pivot table of it.