Article Facts

Microsoft Excel 2007 is the preferred spreadsheet tool used by individuals and companies the world over; however, it is a tool that is rarely used to its maximum. One such way to really get the most out of the software is through pivot tables, which help to sort data and organize it in a customized and user friendly way.

To use pivot tables, you will first need a spreadsheet of course. It is likely you will already have one ready to interrogate, or have just created one. Having done this, select the data you wish to analyze; including all relevant column headings.

Select Insert from the toolbar, and then PivotTable. This will load the pivot table window. The data you have highlighted will be entered into the Table/Range text box. If you wish to amend the data selection, you can simply type in the parameters or use the creation tool to select areas of the sheet to work on.

There is also an option to create the worksheet in the same book you are presently working on, (New Worksheet), or in an existing book somewhere on your system, (Existing Worksheet). Select this as required.

A split screen page will be presented, and all relevant headings will be listed on the right in the PivotTable Field List. From here, select which fields you want to move into the table, which will display automatically in the lower half of the right hand side in; Report Filter, Column Labels, Row Labels or Values. If these are not where you want them, you can drag and drop as necessary.

The main area of the page, the table itself, will be updated according to where you place the information. The look of the table can be changed too, using the layout options.

These are only the very first steps to using MS Excel pivot tables; and there are many advanced features to play around with. However, it is important to note that any changes made in the source data, will only reflect once you Refresh the data.

Get your 45 page guide and fully working template on how to use Excel to create (http://www.stewarttraining.co.uk) excel dashboards and interactive performance reports. If you really want to improve your productivity with excel then visit (http://www.stewarttraining.co.uk/executivedashboards.html) executive dashboards. You will never use excel the same way again!