Pivot Table Data Crunching

Bill Jelen is Mr. Excel! He is principal behind the leading Excel website, MrExcel.com. As an Excel consultant, he has written Excel VBA solutions for hundreds of clients around the English-speaking world. His website hosts over 12 million page views annually. Michael Alexander is a Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) with over 13 years experience developing business solutions with Microsoft Office, VBA, and VB.Net. He currently lives in Plano, TX where heads an analytical services department for a $700 million company, and has written numerous articles at the www.DataPigTechnologies.com website.

Introduction.

1. Pivot Table Fundamentals.

    What Is a Pivot Table?

    Why Should You Use a Pivot Table?

    When Should You Use a Pivot Table?

    The Anatomy of a Pivot Table

      Data Area

      Row Area

      Column Area

      Page Area

    Pivot Tables Behind the Scenes

    Limitations of Pivot Table Reports

    Next Steps

2. Creating a Basic Pivot Table.

    Preparing Your Data for Pivot Table Reporting

      Ensure Your Data Is in a Tabular Layout

      Use Unique Headings That Occupy Only a Single Row of Data

      Avoid Storing Data in Section Headings

      Avoid Repeating Groups as Columns

      Eliminate Gaps and Blank Cells in Your Data Source

      Apply Appropriate Type Formatting to Your Fields

      Summary of Good Data Source Design

      Cleaning Up Data for Pivot Table Analysis

    Creating a Basic Pivot Table

      Introduction to the PivotTable Wizard

      Drag Fields to the Report

      Adding Fields to the Pivot Table

      Rearranging the Pivot Table

      Revenue by Market and Model

      Watch the Mouse Pointer to Learn Where You Are Dropping a Field

      Redisplay the Pivot Table Field List

      Redisplay the Pivot Table Toolbar

      Activate the PivotTable Wizard

    Keeping Up with Changes in Your Data Source

      Changes Have Been Made to Your Existing Data Source

      Your Data Source's Range Has Been Expanded with the Addition of Rows or Columns

    Next Steps

3. Customizing Fields in a Pivot Table.

    The Need to Customize

    Displaying the PivotTable Field Dialog Box

    Customizing Field Names

    Applying Numeric Formats to Data Fields

    Changing Summary Calculations

      One Blank Cell Causes a Count

      Using Functions Other Than Count or Sum

    Adding and Removing Subtotals

      Suppress Subtotals When You Have Many Row Fields

      Adding Multiple Subtotals for One Field

    Using Running Total Options

      Display Change from Year to Year with Difference From

      How Much Does Each Line of Business Contribute to the Total?

      Seasonality Reports

      Revenue by Line of Business Report

    Next Steps

4. Formatting Your Pivot Table Report.

    Using AutoFormat

    Applying Your Own Style

    Setting Table Options

      Grand Totals for Columns

      Grand Totals for Rows

      AutoFormat Table

      Subtotal Hidden Page Items

      Merged Labels

      Preserve Formatting

      Repeat Item Labels on Each Printed Page

      Mark Totals with *

      Page Layout

      For Error Values Show

      For Empty Cells Show

      Set Print Titles

      Formatting a Pivot Table

    Next Steps

5. Controlling the Way You View Your Pivot Data.

    Showing and Hiding Options

      The Basics of Hiding an Item

      Showing All Items Again

      Showing or Hiding Most Items

      Hiding or Showing Items Without Data

      Hiding or Showing Items in a Page Field

      Showing or Hiding Items in a Data Field

    Sorting in a Pivot Table

      Sorting Using the Advanced Options Dialog Box

      Note the Effect of Layout Changes on AutoSort

      Sorting Using the Manual Method

      Sorting Using the Sorting Buttons on the Standard Toolbar

    Producing Top 10 Reports

    Grouping Pivot Fields

      Grouping Date Fields

      When Grouping by Months, Include Years

      Grouping Date Fields by Week

      Grouping Two Date Fields in One Report

      Order Lead-Time Report

      Grouping Numeric Fields

      Grouping Text Fields

      Grouping and Ungrouping

    Next Steps

6. Performing Calculations Within Your Pivot Tables.

    Introducing Calculated Fields and Calculated Items

      Method 1: Manually Add the Calculated Field to Your Data Source

      Method 2: Use a Formula Outside of Your Pivot Table to Create the Calculated Field

      Method 3: Insert a Calculated Field Directly into Your Pivot Table

    Creating Your First Calculated Field

      Summarizing Next Year's Forecast

    Creating Your First Calculated Item

      Creating a Mini-Dashboard

    Rules and Shortcomings of Pivot Table Calculations

      Order of Operator Precedence

      Cell References and Named Ranges

      Worksheet Functions

      Constants

      Referencing Totals

      Rules Specific to Calculated Fields

      Rules Specific to Calculated Items

    Managing and Maintaining Your Pivot Table Calculations

      Editing and Deleting Your Pivot Table Calculations

      Changing the Solve Order or Your Calculated Items

      Documenting Your Formulas

    Next Steps

7. Creating and Using Pivot Charts.

    What Is a Pivot Chart Really?

    Creating Your First Pivot Chart

    Rules and Limitations of Pivot Charts

      Pivot Chart Layout Optimization

      Scatter, Bubble, and Stock Charts Off Limits

      Limitations on Element Size and Location

      Certain Customizations Aren't Permanent

      Create a Dynamic Year-Over-Year Chart

    Alternatives to Using Pivot Charts

      Avoiding Overhead

      Avoid the Formatting Limitations of Pivot Charts

    Next Steps

8. Using Disparate Data Sources for Your Pivot Table.

    Working with Disparate Data Sources

    Using Multiple Consolidation Ranges

    The Anatomy of a Multiple Consolidation Range Pivot Table

      The Row Field

      The Column Field

      The Value Field

      The Page Fields

      Redefining Your Pivot Table

      Consolidate and Analyze Eight Datasets

    Creating a Pivot Table from an Existing Pivot Table

    Next Steps

9. Using External Data Sources for Your Pivot Table.

    Building a Pivot Table Using External Data Sources

      Working Around Excel's Data Management Limitations

      About MS Query

      Analyze a Dataset with More Than 83,000 Records with a Pivot Table

    Importing and Using External Data Without the PivotTable Wizard

    Creating Dynamic Pivot Table Reporting Systems

      Create a Standalone Dynamic Pivot Table Reporting System

    Pivot Table Data Options

    Next Steps

10. Leveraging the Power of OLAP Cubes.

    Defining OLAP?

    Benefits of OLAP Cubes

    Introduction to Data Warehouses and OLAP Cubes

      Operational Data

      Warehousing Your Data

      Enter the Cube

      Cubes Offer Prebuilt Data Views

    Connecting to an OLAP Cube

      Make the Connection to a Local Cube

      Make the Connection to a Server Cube

    Working with an OLAP Pivot Table

      Arranging the Data

      Drilling Into the Cube

      Using Page Fields

    Comparing OLAP Cubes' Pivot Tables to Excel Data

      OLAP Handles More Data, Faster

      Dimensions or Measures

      OLAP Measures Are Already Grouped

      Drill-Through of OLAP Data

      Calculated Fields with OLAP

      Other Pivot Table Features Operate the Same

    Other Considerations When Using OLAP Cubes

      Viewing an OLAP Cube Online

      Writing Back to a Cube

      Setting Actions in a Cube

      Combining Cubes

      Building a Local Cube

    Next Steps

11. Enhancing Your Pivot Table Reports with Macros.

    Why Use Macros with Your Pivot Table Reports?

    Recording Your First Macro

    Creating a User Interface with Form Controls

    Altering a Recorded Macro to Add Functionality

      Synchronize Two Pivot Tables with One Combo Box

    Next Steps

12. Using VBA to Create Pivot Tables.

    Introduction to VBA

      Enable VBA in Your Copy of Excel

      Visual Basic Editor

      Visual Basic Tools

      The Macro Recorder

      Understanding Object-Oriented Code

    Tricks of the Trade

      Write Code to Handle Any Size Data Range

      Use Super-Variables-Object Variables

    Versions

    Build a Pivot Table in Excel VBA

      Getting a Sum Instead of a Count

      Cannot Move or Change Part of a Pivot Report

      Size of a Finished Pivot Table

    Revenue by Model for a Product Line Manager

      Eliminate Blank Cells in the Data Area

      Control the Sort Order with AutoSort

      Default Number Format

      Suppress Subtotals for Multiple Row Fields

      Suppress Grand Total for Rows

    Handle Additional Annoyances

      New Workbook to Hold the Report

      Summary on a Blank Report Worksheet

      Fill Outline View

      Final Formatting

      Add Subtotals

      Put It All Together

    Issues with Two or More Data Fields

      Calculated Data Fields

      Calculated Items

    Summarize Date Fields with Grouping

      Group by Week

    Advanced Pivot Table Techniques

      AutoShow Feature to Produce Executive Overviews

      ShowDetail to Filter a Recordset

      Create Reports for Each Region or Model

      Manually Filter Two or More Items in a PivotField

    Control the Sort Order Manually

    Sum, Average, Count, Min, Max, and More

    Report Percentages

      Percentage of Total

      Percentage Growth from Previous Month

      Percentage of a Specific Item

      Running Total

      Special Considerations for Excel 97

    Next Steps

A. Solutions to Common Questions and Issues with Pivot Tables.

    What does "The PivotTable field name is not valid" mean?

      Problem

      Solution

    When I refresh my pivot table, my data disappears.

      Problem

      Solution

    When I try to group a field, I get an error message.

      Problem

      Solution

    Why can't I group my month fields into quarters?

      Problem

      Solution

    My pivot table is showing the same data item twice.

      Problem

      Solution

    Why are deleted data items still showing up in the page field?

      Problem

      Solution

    When I type a formula referencing a pivot table, I cannot copy the formula down.

      Problem

      Solution

    How can I sort data items in a unique order that is not ascending or descending?

      Problem

      Solution

    How do I turn my pivot table into hard data?

      Problem

      Solution

    Is there an easy way to fill the empty cells left by row fields?

      Problem

      Solution

    Is there an easy way to fill the empty cells left by row fields in multiple columns?

      Problem

      Solution

    How do I add a rank number field to my pivot table?

      Problem

      Solution

    Why does my pivot chart exclude months for certain data items?

      Problem

      Solution

    Can I create a pivot chart on the same sheet as my pivot table?

      Problem

      Solution

    How can I turn my pivot table report into an interactive web page?

      Problem

      Solution

Index.