Forum Discussion
Pls help me create Pivot Table example
I want to create a PT example to demonstrate an issue and a possible solution. But sigh, I know nothing about PTs. I know: I should take the time to learn. But every time I try (not very hard; sigh), I lose patience. My guess is: a PT-knowledgeable person can create the example in a heartbeat; or maybe a New York minute (wink). So I would appreciate it if some kind soul would take a moment to do that.
See the textbox in the attached Excel file. I hope it is self-explanatory.
Thanks for indulging my laziness. (Mea culpa!)
PS.... I hope my example lends itself to creating a Pivot Table. If not, please embellish the data as needed so that the PTs make sense. Also, I know that I can eschew the PTs and use SUMIF instead. In fact, that is what __I__ would normally do, since obviously I do not use PTs.
3 Replies
I did your first PT. It was so easy, I'm not sure what your difficulty is, other than an unwillingness to "play" a bit. Frankly, one usually sees Pivot Tables done with more data, more rows and columns. See the attached example of a pivot table to summarize things by category and month.
Maybe this website will help. https://exceljet.net/glossary/pivot-table
There are also many MANY YouTube videos.
mathetes wrote: ``I did your first PT``
Thanks. I hope someone can provide PT 2 with explicitly-rounded values or formulas (calculated fields?).
I hope it's not =ROUND(SUMIF($B$4:$B$25, H4, $C$4:$C$25), 3). That would seem to defeat the purpose of using a PT. (Perhaps because my example is too simple.)
Yes, I know that PTs are most useful with more complex data and designs. But when I create examples for educational purposes, I like to KISS. "Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler." (wink)
I hope it's not =ROUND(SUMIF($B$4:$B$25, H4, $C$4:$C$25), 3). That would seem to defeat the purpose of using a PT. (Perhaps because my example is too simple.)
Bingo! Take that "perhaps" seriously: If you can get from point A to point B by doing a formula such as you've written, why make it more complicated? The purpose of a Pivot Table comes into play when the data you're dealing with, the summary you're seeking, can't be as simply resolved with a single simple formula. One of the wonderful features of Excel is that there are frequently (I would even say "usually") several ways to get from point A to point B; so unless the way you've found is convoluted, there's not a lot of reason to go looking for another.
Yes, I know that PTs are most useful with more complex data and designs. But when I create examples for educational purposes, I like to KISS. "Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler." (wink)
There is complex and there is complex. The example I sent you is NOT particularly complex; it just has another dimension to it and, as such, is a good simple example of where the Pivot Table helps summarize data: it creates a two dimensional array. Your examples are so simple that they don't need the Pivot Table tool.
By the way, did you even look at the resources I pointed you to?
