Pivot Tables

By: Halle Richard

    Pivot Tables are used to summarize, analyze, and explore large datasets by rearranging raw data into a readable table with rows, columns, and metrics. Common pivot table cases include analyzing sales data by region, summarizing survey results, tracking expenses, and analyzing website traffic sources. A pivot table summarizes a list of individual household expenses to show the total cost for each category, such as "Utilities" and "Groceries". The good part about creating pivot tables is that you don't need to write any formulas. You can simply use drag-and-drop features to make these interactive tables. 

                                            Figure 1                                                        Figure 2

    In Figure 1, we see an example of a pivot table. It is separated into 4 categories: year, category, product, sales, and rating. If you're looking for a specific item, you can identify it to obtain further information on that item. In Figure 2, we see another good example of a pivot table. This table represents sales from the past three years, separated into nine categories.  Pivot tables allow you to reorganize and group data into many different ways to compare, find patterns, and answer unanticipated questions. Pivot tables are essential to data analysis and informed decision-making.