Mastering Microsoft Excel PivotTables SkillPath a division of the Graceland College Center for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this material or any part thereof in any manner.
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES Introduction Microsoft Excel PivotTables may just be your single most valuable tool for sorting and summarizing data but, granted, they re not the easiest to master. That s why this session is so valuable. It s loaded with information you can digest easily and apply immediately to let PivotTables do the hard and tedious work for you. In this course you ll learn the tools and shortcuts needed to view and organize Excel data quickly and easily. Mastering Microsoft Excel PivotTables will demystify the language of PivotTable reports and show you how to create PivotTables and PivotCharts to view and sort data even across multiple tables. With this valuable information you ll be able to easily see patterns and make the right decisions. At the end of this session, you will be able to: Format and create PivotTables so you can quickly find the exact information you need regardless of database size Jump-start your use of PivotTables with the new Recommended PivotTables feature Create relationships between tables so you can use one PivotTable to search them all at the same time Drill down, drill up and cross-drill in your PivotTable without the hassle of opening drop-down lists and searching for items you want to filter Pivot your data with a simple click of the mouse Notes to Readers Throughout this workbook you ll see study aids that will help you master Microsoft Excel PivotTables. SkillSteps: The fundamental steps to get to a feature SkillTips: Special guidelines for becoming an Excel Power User Strategies: Techniques for mastering Microsoft Excel 2
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK PivotTable Reports Learning Objectives: At the end of this module, you will be able to master: How to convert data into a table How to use the Quick Analysis Tool to build a report How to create a report on your own How to customize a report The difference between good and bad data How to use Slicers to filter your reports How to create a Recommended Report How to format a report Effective workbook structure How to refresh a report How to split reports into multiple reports How to clean up data How to customize report fields How to create a Financial Report How to create a report from two Linked Tables 3
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES How to Convert Data into a Table PivotTables are reports. They condense large quantities of data into concise summaries. An effective PivotTable Report requires a strong foundation. What does this mean? PivotTable Reports are based on data sources that can come from : A worksheet A local Microsoft Access table A network database However, the thing they share is that all these sources are tabular data with a single header row. In building an effective PivotTable report, it is essential you begin with a table. SkillSteps: To convert tabular data into a table: Select the range of cells to convert (including the headers) > Home > Format as Table SkillTip: The shortcut to create a table is Ctrl + T 4
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Using the Quick Analysis Tool to Build Reports When you highlight a range, the Quick Analysis Tool Appears. If you need to build a PivotTable report quickly and don t know where to start, the Quick Analysis Tool has categories of shortcuts you can apply to your highlighted data including: Formatting Charts Totals Tables (including PivotTables) Sparklines 5
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES SkillSteps: To create a PivotTable Report with the Quick Analysis Tool: Select a Range > Click the Quick Analysis Tool Icon > Select Tables > Select one of the sample PivotTable Reports SkillTip: When you select one of the sample PivotTable Reports with the Quick Analysis Tool, Excel will insert a sheet into your workbook and add the report to that sheet. You can always modify (or move) the report afterward. 6
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Creating a PivotTable On Your Own Rather than use the Quick Analysis tool and its predefined PivotTable reports, you can simply put your cursor in the table and use the Summarize with PivotTable command to build the report from scratch. SkillSteps: To create a PivotTable Report: After you ve configure a table > Table Tools > Design > Tools > Summarize with PivotTable SkillTip: Reports often require that you build a helper. To create a helper column, add a column to the exiting table and insert a formula into the first row of data below the field name. SkillSteps: To calculate the day of the week in a table with a date: =TEXT([@Started], ddd ) The Create PivotTable dialog box assumes you want to build a report from your current table. You can also use an external data source, or the workbook s Data Model. SkillTip: The Workbook Data Model is a layer within the workbook file to which you can associate tables. 7
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES The Create PivotTable dialog box is divided into two sections one for input and one for output. Input The Input section enables you to choose whether the report data is a Table, range or coming from an external source. Output The Output section enables you to choose the destination for your new PivotTable Report. The default is a new worksheet in the current workbook. Once you press OK, you can begin designing your report by dragging the appropriate field into the appropriate drop zone in the PivotTable Fields pane. SkillTip: The speed with which a report can be built encourages you to experiment with different combinations of choices. SkillSteps: To count the number of Accountants, Technicians, etc.: Drop Position into the Rows drop zone and drop Position into the Values drop zone. 8
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK For the most part, the columns in your source table enable you to group and summarize data in many ways. How many examples of grouping (in addition to Position) can you think of? Group by Division Group by Department Group by Day of Week Group by Year Group Salary 9
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES Adding Additional Settings to a PivotTable Report You can add additional value to your reports by configuring: Custom calculations Custom number formats For example, you can calculate the percentage of total and format the calculations appropriately. The Show Value As option offers many custom calculations that ordinarily would have required a formula: % of Grand Total % of Column Total Running Total % Difference From SkillSteps: To configure a custom calculation: Press the right mouse button on a value column in your report > Select Show Value As > Select an option 10
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Why Bad Data Leads to Bad Reports While PivotTable reports are easy to build, often your biggest challenge is not the report it s the data you ve been given. It s difficult to design a good PivotTable Report from bad data. Good data is: Simple Consistent Complete (no completely blank rows or columns) Tabular When your data is tabular, it s easy to develop a cross-tabular report that breaks your numbers down and displays calculations in their own columns like Division Data North, South, East and West. Starting with cross-tabular data makes your work more difficult. It s best if your data is simply tabular. 11
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES How to Filter Your Data With Slicers Once you have your report designed, you and your customers can dynamically filter the report using one or more slicers. A slicer is nothing more than a graphical filter panel that floats alongside your report. By using the buttons on the slicer(s), users can easily filter the report (and any charts connected to the report). SkillSteps: To create a slicer: Put your cursor in the report for which you want to add a slicer > Tools > Insert Slicer > Check at least one field > OK SkillTip: Once you ve created a slicer, you can customize the slicer and the reports to which it is linked by using the commands on the Slicer Tools contextual ribbon. SkillTip: The fastest way to create a PivotChart from a PivotTable is by pressing ALT-F1 while your cursor is in the report. 12
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK How to Create a Recommended PivotTables Rather than go through all the individual steps required to build PivotTable report, why not take Microsoft s advice? Seems like a good idea! SkillSteps: To view Create a Recommended PivotTables: Put Your Cursor inside a Table > Insert > Recommended PivotTables > Make a choice > OK Excel provides a list of sample reports based on the data in your table. 13
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES Formatting a PivotTable Report There are many adjustments you can make to value fields in your report. One way to see the available options is to click the field s icon in the Value drop zone. When you click the field name, a menu pops up and includes the command Value Field Settings. SkillTip: Field Settings is a similar command located on the Analyze tab when you re in a PivotTable. It triggers settings for Value Fields as well as Row and Column fields in a report. You ll notice slightly different options depending on the type of field you ve chosen. The Value Field Settings button displays a dialog box that includes Number Format. The Number Format button triggers the Format Cells dialog box and enables you to universally apply a format to that field. SkillTip: There is a difference between Number Format and Format Cells. When you use the Format Cells option (outside of Number Format) you ll be formatting only cells, not formatting the field. In those cases, when the report is refreshed, the formatting might only be implemented on the original cells not the additional cells the refreshed report might encompass. 14
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK How to Create Slicers and Their Connection Settings Once you learn the fundamentals of Pivotology, you learn to combine features into dashboards. A Dashboard is a single-page summary of numbers collected elsewhere in your workbook. A dashboard might include: PivotTable Reports Slicers PivotTable Charts The sheet that initially houses your reports, slicers and charts is called your Staging Area. It s where you put together the ingredients for your report. Once you ve built your Staging Area, you can transfer the images to the dashboard with a simple Cut and Paste. SkillSteps: To move images from the Staging layer to a Dashboard Sheet: Select one of the graphic elements (chart or slicer) > Ctrl + X > Insert another sheet (Shift + F11) > Ctrl + V 15
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES Effective Workbook Structure and PivotTable Reports It s important to design your workbook effectively. As you ve seen, it makes little sense to crowd everything onto one sheet and hope to print it effectively. It won t fit! Many workbooks share a common structure with ingredients divided into three categories Raw Data (the input area and optimally located on one sheet) Staging Area for Reports and summary calculations Dashboard (the output sheet) where your summaries are effectively formatted for you audience Managing a workbook like this is easier because you can continue to add and modify data on the Raw Data sheet. Afterward, by refreshing all your reports at once, your dashboard is, in turn, updated. 16
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Why You Must Refresh Your Reports Remember, a PivotTable Report does not behave like worksheet formulas. There is no inherent auto-calculate. To ensure your reports are up-to-date, you must refresh the report(s). SkillSteps: To Refresh a Report: Put your cursor in a Report > Analyze > Refresh (or Refresh All) SkillTip: You can modify the properties of a report to refresh when the file is opened. To do so, go to Analyze > Options > 17
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES The Elegance of Show Report Filter Pages Have you ever needed to create separate reports for different departments, divisions or months of the year? If you are doing this manually, you are working too hard. With PivotTable Reports you can show report filters as separate pages. SkillSteps: To build multiple reports on separate pages: Use at least one report filter field > PivotTable Tools > Analyze > Options > Show report Filter Pages For example, if you had data grouped by Position, you could build separate individual reports for each month by putting the Month field in the Filter Drop Zone. After using Show Report Filter pages for a Month field, you ll have 12 separate reports from your raw data: SkillTip: Always start with a single sheet of data. Don t try to separate the values on sheets. The way you organize your data is essential. Keep data in a big list. 18
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Fixing Poorly Formatted Report-style Data Often you receive data that is already formatted as a report which is inconvenient because it s not a table and tables are the foundation of PivotTables, not reports. Sometimes, you ll need to use other Excel skills to clean up poorly organized data and make it more Table-icious. For example, it might seem redundant to list people s names on each row of a list, but to make it more flexible, you should. This is not good data for a PivotTable report. Looking good and being efficient is not the same thing. You must clean it up by filling in the blank cells and then formatting it as a table. SkillTip: You can use a variety of shortcuts or the Fill Handle to ensue your data is organized in a tabular layout. Consider Excel s Fill Handle! Once you ve eventually organized and formatted your data as a table, you are only a few steps from building an effective report using Show in Tabular Form Removing Grand Totals Removing Subtotals These choices are available on the Design Tab of the PivotTable Tools contextual ribbon. 19
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES How to Customize PivotTable Report Field Settings Did you know that you can apply other formatting properties to a report via the Field Settings dialog box? There you ll notice two tabs: Subtotals and Filters Layout & Print SkillSteps: To insert blank lines between each row label of your report: Select a Row Header > Field Settings > Layout & Print > Insert Blank Line after Each Item Label 20
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK PivotTable Reports and Financial Reporting Consider the major PivotTable skills you ve mastered: Formatting as Table Building Helper Files Displaying the report in a Tabular layout These are tools you ll need for building a financial report. Let s say you have a table of transactional data that includes: Date The key to the financial report is dropping the fields into the correct drop zones. P & L Category and Line Item go in the Row drop zone Month goes in the column drop zone Amount goes in the values drop zone SkillTip: Keep in mind you will need to ensure Revenue is listed above COGS. To do so, simply type the word Revenue in the cell where the COGS label is. Excel will rearrange your report sections to insert Revenue above COGS. P & L Category Line Item Amount If you can build helper columns for Month and Year, you can convert your table into a PivotTable Report. Remember: Month = Text([@Date], mmm ) Year = Text([@Date], yyy ) 21
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES Completing a PivotTable Report With Custom Calculate Items Once you ve built your report, you might want to insert some calculated items like Gross Profit and Operating Profit. SkillSteps: To Create Calculated Items: Select one of the Row Labels you want to build your calculation with > Analyze > Fields, Items, & Sets > Calculated Item > build your formula > OK For example: GROSS PROFIT = REVENUE - COGS 22
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK OPERATING PROFIT = GROSS PROFIT EXPENSES If you have multiple years of data, you can add a Slicer for Year and be able to filter your report year by year. 23
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES Creating a Report From Two Linked Tables PivotTable reports can be built using data from multiple tables if the tables are related. Tables can be related provided they have a column in common something they can be linked with. To link two tables, one must have a primary key and the other table must use that primary key as a foreign key. A primary key is a column in which each row contains a unique value that identifies that row A foreign key is a column which contains another table s primary key data In the table that contains the primary key, each primary key value can appear only once. In the table that contains the foreign key, the foreign key value can appear many times. This one-to-many relationship is the heart of a relational database. In Excel, with the ability to link tables, you no longer need to use Microsoft Access to link multiple Excel tables and you no longer need to write VLOOKUP formulas in Excel to reference data stored in separate tables. SkillSteps: To Build a Relationship between two Tables: Have two tables that are relatable > Data > Data Tools > Relationships > New > Identify the appropriate tables and columns > OK 24
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Once you ve built the relationship, you can return to one of the two tables and begin building your report. The key to building the report is that you can combine columns from multiple tables into your report design. Remember, to be able to combine multiple tables in a report, when you build the report, one of the tables must be added to the data model. SkillSteps: To add a table to the data model when building a report: Table Tools > Design > Summarize with a PivotTable > 3 Add to this data to the Data Model Once you ve completed the setup, you can build your report using fields from both linked tables. SkillTip: Notice the tab titled All in the PivotTable Fields pane. Use the tables on that tab to select fields from all the related tables. 25
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES Personal Action Plan: PivotTable Reports In this session, you ve learned to: Format and create PivotTables so you can quickly find the exact information you need regardless of database size Jump-start your use of PivotTables with the new Recommended PivotTables feature Create relationships between tables so you can use one PivotTable to search them all at the same time Drill down, drill up and cross-drill in your PivotTable without the hassle of opening dropdown lists and searching for items you want to filter Pivot your data with a simple click of the mouse Take some time to reflect on all the information that was discussed during today s course and complete the following questions. Stop What will I stop doing because of today s session? Why? Start What will I start doing because of today s session? Why? Continue What should I continue doing because of today s session? Why? 26
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Appendix A: Powerful Excel Shortcuts Command Shortcut The Help System F1 Undo Ctrl + z Format Ctrl + 1 The Go To Command Ctrl + g Reveal Formulas Ctrl + ` The Instant Sum Shortcut Alt + = Inserting Today s Date Ctrl + ; The Super Enter Key Ctrl + Enter Reveal Formulas Ctrl + ` Instant Date or Time Ctrl + : or Ctrl + ; Instant Chart Alt + F1 The Names Manager Ctrl + F3 Copy Down or Right Ctrl + d or Ctrl + r The Print Preview Command Ctrl + F2 The Comment Command Shift + F2 In Cell Editing F2 Multiple Cell Entry Ctrl + Enter Line Breaks Alt + Enter Flash Fill Ctrl + e Displays the Quick Analysis options Ctrl + q Clear the cell contents Delete Clear the cell contents Backspace Insert cells Ctrl + Plus (+) Delete cells Ctrl + Minus (-) Cut Ctrl + x Copy Ctrl + c Paste Ctrl + v Paste special Alt + Ctrl + v Insert paste (after cut) Ctrl + Plus (+) Paste values Alt, e, s, v, Enter Repeats the last command, if possible Ctrl + y Repeats the last command, if possible F4 Undo Ctrl + z 27
MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL PIVOTTABLES Command Shortcut Show undo List Alt + 2 Create a chart on a chart sheet F11 Displays the create list Ctrl + l Insert a Hyperlink Ctrl + k Display the macro dialog box Alt + F8 Create Table Ctrl + l Create Table Ctrl + t (Excel 2007 +) Create a List Ctrl + l (Excel 2003 -) Toggle Filters (On/Off) Ctrl + Shift + l Hide a Workbook Row Ctrl + 9 Unhide Workbook Rows Ctrl + ( Hide Selected Columns Ctrl + 0 (Zero) Unhide Selected Columns Ctrl + ) Activate the Name Manager Ctrl + F3 Create Names from Selection Ctrl + Shift + F3 Paste Name F3 Create a Name Ctrl + F3 Bold (on/off) Ctrl + b Bold (on/off) Ctrl + 2 Italics (on/off) Ctrl + I Italics (on/off) Ctrl + 3 Underline (on/off) Ctrl + u Underline (on/off) Ctrl + 4 Date Format (d-mmm-yy) Ctrl + Shift + # Number Format (With 2 Decimal Places) Ctrl + Shift +! Currency Format (With 2 Decimal Place) Ctrl + Shift + $ Format Dialog Box Ctrl + 1 on Keyboard Format Dialog Box Ctrl + Shift + F Format Dialog Box Ctrl + Shift + P Make a Border Ctrl + Shift + & Remove the Border Ctrl + Shift + _ General Number Format Ctrl + Shift + ~ Strikethrough Ctrl + 5 Percentage Format (With 2 Decimal Places) Ctrl + Shift + % Time Format (Hour, Minute, AM/PM) Ctrl + Shift + @ Exponential Format Ctrl + Shift + ^ Show Cell s Style Alt + 28
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