Excel Pivot Tables - Exploring Data

Excel PivotTable allows you to explore and extract significant data from an Excel table or a range of data. There are several ways of doing this and you can choose the ones that are best suited to your data. Further, while you are exploring the data, you can view the different combinations instantly as you change your choices to pick the data values.

You can do the following with a PivotTable −

• Sort the data.
• Filter the data.
• Nest the PivotTable fields.
• Expand and Collapse the fields.
• Group and ungroup field values.

Sorting and Filtering Data

You can sort the data in a PivotTable in ascending or descending order of the field values. You can also sort by subtotals from largest to smallest or smallest to largest values. You can also set sort options. You will learn these in detail in the chapter – Sorting Data in a PivotTable in this tutorial.

You can filter the data in a PivotTable to focus on some specific data. You have several filtering options in PivotTable that you will learn in the chapter – Filtering Data in a PivotTable in this tutorial. You can use Slicers for filtering, which you will learn in the chapter – Filtering using Slicers in this tutorial.

Nesting, Expanding and Collapsing Fields

You can nest fields in a PivotTable to show a hierarchy, if relevant to your data. You will learn this in the chapter - Nesting in a PivotTable in this tutorial.

When you have nested fields in your PivotTable, you can expand and collapse the values of those fields. You will learn these in the Chapter – Exploring Data with PivotTable Tools in this tutorial.

Grouping and Ungrouping Field Values

You can group and ungroup specific values of a field in a PivotTable. You will learn this in the Chapter – Exploring Data with PivotTable Tools in this tutorial.