How to use Pivot Table in Excel

One of the most important features that make us use Excel in particular is the ability to use different types of tables, the most important of which is the pivot table.

Insert a Pivot Table

To use a Pivot Table, it is necessary to first make sure that there are no spaces between the information that we will use. Here is an example of the following information table:

 information table
information table

By pressing “Control + A” on any cell within the table, the entire table can be selected to use the Pivot Table.

Select the table
Select the table

Note: It is preferable to first convert the information into a table so that when we add any new information item, it will be included in the Pivot Table.

Select the information
Select the information

Therefore, we will select the information in the way we mentioned, and through the information bar, we click “Home” and then click “Format As Table”, so the information becomes in the form of a table.

"Format As Table"
“Format As Table”

So, after converting the information into a table, we convert this table to a Pivot Table. This is done by going to the information bar clicking “Insert”, and then click Pivot Table.

insert Pivot Table
insert Pivot Table

We notice from the options what we talked about previously that when selecting the table, the Pivot Table will include any new information we add to the table, and this is what the first option explains.

As for the second option, we notice the possibility of choosing to work in a new sheet or in the same sheet, and here we will choose to work in a new sheet to clarify the work.

Pivot Table option
Pivot Table option

Now a new worksheet will open and the Pivot Table will be in it, and we will notice on the right side of the sheet the group of elements that make up the Pivot Table:

Pivot Table elements
Pivot Table elements

We will also notice that there are four options:

  • Columns to choose the elements that will be tables.
  • Row to choose the elements that will be rows.
  • Values ​​to choose the elements that will be values.
  • Filter to make one of the elements a filter.

Different ways to arrange information

Now we put the “book” within the “rows” by dragging and dropping, and we notice that the books appear as separate rows.

put the "book" within the "rows"
put the “book” within the “rows”

We notice that the names of the books are many, but in the end, they are the names of four books. Thus, the Pivot Table summarizes them into four books, as we notice in the picture.

Books Name by Pivot table
Books Name by Pivot table

We can also put “sales” in the values, so they appear as follows:

put "sales" in the values
put “sales” in the values

We can also add “month” to “books” in the rows.

add "month" to "books"
add “month” to “books”

We notice how the book appeared and the month below it, where the order is important here, so if we want the month to appear and the book below it, we reverse the order.

we reverse the order
reverse the order

We notice that the Pivot Table collects information in a very smart way. We notice that when we add each of the books, months, and the number of sales, it collects the number of sales for each month from the point of view of each book.

 the Pivot Table information
the Pivot Table information

As for book B, the number of sales for the fifth month was 1281, and the total sales were 4931.

We can also add the month to the “Columns”, and thus we get the following form:

add the month to the "Columns"
add the month to the “Columns”

Grand Total box

Let us say we want to see the entire month’s sales without the names of the books, so we put “Sales Number” in “Values” and “Month” in “Rows”.

put "Sales Number" in "Values"
put “Sales Number” in “Values”

Now if we put “Month” in “Rows”. And put “Book” in “Columns”. Then put “Sales” in “Values”. We finally notice the appearance of the “Grand Total” box that shows the total sum of the values.

put "Month" in "Rows" And "Book" in "Columns"
put “Month” in “Rows” And “Book” in “Columns”

If we want to remove this box, we go to the toolbar and then to “Design”. After that, we choose “Grand Total”, click “Grand Total” and then click “Off for Rows and Columns”.

"Grand Total"
“Grand Total”

We notice from the options that I can:

– First, show the total for columns only “On for Columns Only”

– Then show the total for rows only “for Rows Only On”

– After that, show the total for columns and rows “On for Rows and Columns”

– And finally, hide the total completely “for Rows and Columns Off”.

Grand Total options
Grand Total options

Using the Filter feature in the pivot table

To use the “Filter” feature, we put the month in “Rows”, the number of sales in “Values”, and the book in “Filters”.

put book in "Filters"
put book in “Filters”

Thus, we notice that it has become possible to choose between several books using the arrow.

choose between several books in the pivot table
choose between several books

We choose one of the books and then click Ok, so we can see the number of sales for this book each month.

choose one of the books
choose one of the books

We can also select more than one item from the “Filters”, through the option “Select Multiple Items” and then select more than one item.

"Select Multiple Items"
“Select Multiple Items”

In this case, the result will be to add the sales of the two books and put them in the number of sales box.

add the sales of the two books
add the sales of the two books

Note: If we want each book to appear separately, we must put the book within the “Rows” or “Columns”. We can also change the shape of the table from the toolbar by choosing “Design”, and then choosing from the available designs for the table at the top.

"Design"
“Design”

We can also get other options for the table style through the “Report Layout” options.

the "Report Layout" options
the “Report Layout” options

Dear reader, if you liked the article, do not forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel,  which provides all new in the field of technical and completely free training courses.

You can also browse our website to access the blog and read technical topics, or learn about the training courses offered by the site.

To access the full course “Excel Course” on YouTube, click here.

Scroll to Top