Pivot Tables are arguably the most powerful feature in Excel. They allow you to summarize thousands of rows of data into a clear report in just a few clicks—without writing a single formula.
Before You Start
Ensure your data is "Clean":
- Every column must have a header (e.g., Date, Sales, Region).
- No empty rows or columns inside the dataset.
- Consistent data types (e.g., dates are formatted as dates).
Create Your First Pivot Table
1 Select any cell inside your data range.
2 Go to Insert > PivotTable.
3 Choose New Worksheet and click OK.
4 The PivotTable Fields pane will appear on the right:
- Drag "Region" to Rows.
- Drag "Sales Amount" to Values.
Just like that, you have a summary of Sales by Region!
Calculated Fields
Need to do math inside the Pivot Table? (e.g., Calculate Commission based on Sales). This requires a "Calculated Field."
If you are unsure how to write the formula for a Calculated Field, ask our AI.