How to Make PivotTable Reports in Excel

A PivotTable report is an interactive table that extracts, summarizes and organizes data automatically. Making a PivotTable in Microsoft Excel allows you to make comparisons, analyze information, find patterns and see trends. A PivotTable may take time to set up but in the long run, it saves many hours spent reviewing Excel spreadsheets.

Instructions

1. Prepare your data for the table. It is much easier to build a PivotTable report if the data is organized for the data entry.

2. Check your Microsoft Excel program to see if it is equipped with a PivotTable option. If it is not, download this framework from a Microsoft Excel website.

3. Open Microsoft Excel from the "Start" menu or from desktop icon. To enter your data directly into the table, click on "PivotTable" and choose the PivotTable Wizard. The Wizard opens a small window and lists options for your report. To use an existing workbook or Excel spreadsheet, open the document in Excel and click on any cell in the first spreadsheet.

4. Click "PivotTable" and "PivotTable Report" in the "Data" menu. A small window opens and starts the PivotTable Wizard. The first question asks "What kind of report would you like to create?" Choose "PivotTable." Follow the instructions for finding the data. Click "Finish."

5. Drag the field buttons to the labels areas on the diagram where you want to be place them. A window opens and shows you the diagram and a list of table fields from the spreadsheet. Label fields are general fields like years, sales, names and totals. Click the "Finish" button when you have completed your diagram.

6. Explore your PivotTable Report to find the information you need. Click "Save" under the "File" menu to save your report when you are finished creating it.

Resources

• Visit the Microsoft webpage to find information about PivotTable reports.