Creating PivotTables and PivotCharts

Abstract

PivotTables are a well-respected feature of Excel and are used in a myriad of ways for dynamically exploring and analyzing large datasets in order to summarize data and make informed decisions. Once you create your initial PivotTable, you can quickly rearrange (or pivot) it in order to view your data in various ways. PivotCharts are interactive charts that can be used to visualize PivotTable reports to convey information about patterns and trends within the data. PivotTables and PivotCharts can take their source data from within Excel or from external sources like databases, Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) cubes, and text files. One of the big advantages of using PivotTables and PivotCharts is that they create new elements within the workbook that can be updated and formatted, leaving the original data source unaltered.