Table of Contents

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Introduction

What You Will Learn from This Book .................................................................1
What Is New in Excel 2016’s Pivot Tables ...............................................................2
Skills Required to Use This Book .........................................................................3
Invention of the Pivot Table........................................................................4
Sample Files Used in This Book ...........................................................6
Conventions Used in This Book ............................................................6
     Referring to Versions ..............................................................................7
     Referring to Ribbon Commands.................................................7
     Special Elements .....................................................................7

1 Pivot Table Fundamentals ............................................ 9
Defining a Pivot Table .................................................................9
Why You Should Use a Pivot Table .............................................10
     Advantages of Using a Pivot Table .........................................11
When to Use a Pivot Table ......................................................12
Anatomy of a Pivot Table .........................................................12
     Values Area ...........................................................................12
     Rows Area........................................................................................13
     Columns Area ...................................................................14
     Filters Area ........................................................................14
Pivot Tables Behind the Scenes ..........................................14
Pivot Table Backward Compatibility .................................................15
     A Word About Compatibility .................................................16
Next Steps............................................................................17

2 Creating a Basic Pivot Table ........................................19
Preparing Data for Pivot Table Reporting ..............................................19
     Ensuring That Data Is in a Tabular Layout..........................................20
     Avoiding Storing Data in Section Headings ...................................20
     Avoiding Repeating Groups as Columns .............................................21
     Eliminating Gaps and Blank Cells in the Data Source ...............................22
     Applying Appropriate Type Formatting to Fields .......................................22
     Summary of Good Data Source Design ........................................22
How to Create a Basic Pivot Table ......................................................24
     Adding Fields to a Report .......................................................26
     Fundamentals of Laying Out a Pivot Table Report ........................................27
     Adding Layers to a Pivot Table ...........................................................28
     Rearranging a Pivot Table ...........................................................29
     Creating a Report Filter.......................................................31
Understanding the Recommended Pivot Table Feature...........................31
Using Slicers ......................................................................................33
     Creating a Standard Slicer ............................................................33
     Creating a Timeline Slicer ...............................................................36
Keeping Up with Changes in the Data Source .............................................39
     Dealing with Changes Made to the Existing Data Source ............................39
     Dealing with an Expanded Data Source Range Due to the Addition of Rows or Columns ..............39
Sharing the Pivot Cache .........................................40
Saving Time with New Pivot Table Tools ............................................41
     Deferring Layout Updates ......................................................41
     Starting Over with One Click ..................................................42
     Relocating a Pivot Table .................................................43
Next Steps.......................................................................43

3 Customizing a Pivot Table ................................................45
Making Common Cosmetic Changes .................................................46
     Applying a Table Style to Restore Gridlines ............................................47
     Changing the Number Format to Add Thousands Separators ....................................48
     Replacing Blanks with Zeros .........................................49
     Changing a Field Name .....................................................51
Making Report Layout Changes ..........................................52
     Using the Compact Layout .............................................52
     Using the Outline Layout ...................................................54
     Using the Traditional Tabular Layout ...........................................55
     Controlling Blank Lines, Grand Totals, and Other Settings ....................................57
Customizing a Pivot Table’s Appearance with Styles and Themes ......................................60
     Customizing a Style .................................................................61
     Modifying Styles with Document Themes ........................................62
Changing Summary Calculations ....................................................63
     Understanding Why One Blank Cell Causes a Count ..............................63
     Using Functions Other Than Count or Sum ...............................65
Adding and Removing Subtotals ....................................................65
     Suppressing Subtotals with Many Row Fields ...........................................66
     Adding Multiple Subtotals for One Field .......................................67
Changing the Calculation in a Value Field .......................................67
     Showing Percentage of Total .........................................................70
     Using % Of to Compare One Line to Another Line ......................................71
     Showing Rank ..........................................................................71
     Tracking Running Total and Percentage of Running Total .............................72
     Displaying a Change from a Previous Field ..........................................................73
     Tracking the Percentage of a Parent Item ..............................................73
     Tracking Relative Importance with the Index Option ...................................74
Next Steps...............................................................75

4 Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Pivot Data ..........................77
Automatically Grouping Dates ...................................................77
     Undoing Automatic Grouping ...........................................78
     Understanding How Excel 2016 Decides What to Group ...................................78
     Grouping Date Fields Manually ....................................................79
     Including Years When Grouping by Months ....................................80
     Grouping Date Fields by Week ...............................................81
     Grouping Numeric Fields ............................................82
Using the PivotTable Fields List ..............................................85
     Docking and Undocking the PivotTable Fields List ................................87
     Rearranging the PivotTable Fields List...................................87
     Using the Areas Section Drop-Downs ..................................88
Sorting in a Pivot Table ................................................89
     Sorting Customers into High-to-Low Sequence Based on Revenue ..................89
     Using a Manual Sort Sequence ..............................................92
     Using a Custom List for Sorting ..................................................93
Filtering a Pivot Table: An Overview ...................................................95
Using Filters for Row and Column Fields .........................................96
     Filtering Using the Check Boxes ..................................................96
     Filtering Using the Search Box ......................................................97
     Filtering Using the Label Filters Option ......................................98
     Filtering a Label Column Using Information in a Values Column ..........................99
     Creating a Top-Five Report Using the Top 10 Filter ...........................................101
     Filtering Using the Date Filters in the Label Drop-down .........................................103
Filtering Using the Filters Area ................................104
     Adding Fields to the Filters Area .............................................104
     Choosing One Item from a Filter ...................................................105
     Choosing Multiple Items from a Filter ....................................................105
     Replicating a Pivot Table Report for Each Item in a Filter ............................................105
     Filtering Using Slicers and Timelines .........................................107
     Using Timelines to Filter by Date .....................................................109
     Driving Multiple Pivot Tables from One Set of Slicers .......................................110
Next Steps......................................................................................112

5 Performing Calculations in Pivot Tables ...........................113
Introducing Calculated Fields and Calculated Items ............................................113
     Method 1: Manually Add a Calculated Field to the Data Source ..........................114
     Method 2: Use a Formula Outside a Pivot Table to Create a Calculated Field .............................115
     Method 3: Insert a Calculated Field Directly into a Pivot Table ............................116
Creating a Calculated Field ...................................116
Creating a Calculated Item ...........................................124
Understanding the Rules and Shortcomings of Pivot Table Calculations ..................127
     Remembering the Order of Operator Precedence ......................................128
     Using Cell References and Named Ranges ...........................................129
     Using Worksheet Functions ....................................................................129
     Using Constants ...........................................................................129
     Referencing Totals ..........................................................................129
     Rules Specific to Calculated Fields ......................................................129
     Rules Specific to Calculated Items ...........................................................131
Managing and Maintaining Pivot Table Calculations ......................................131
     Editing and Deleting Pivot Table Calculations ......................................131
     Changing the Solve Order of Calculated Items .........................................132
     Documenting Formulas ........................................................133
Next Steps............................................................................134

6 Using Pivot Charts and Other Visualizations .........................135
What Is a Pivot Chart...Really? ..........................................................135
Creating a Pivot Chart ..........................................................136
     Understanding Pivot Field Buttons ..............................................138
Keeping Pivot Chart Rules in Mind ....................................................139
     Changes in the Underlying Pivot Table Affect a Pivot Chart .................................139
     Placement of Data Fields in a Pivot Table Might Not Be Best Suited for a Pivot Chart .....................139
     A Few Formatting Limitations Still Exist in Excel 2016 ..................................141
Examining Alternatives to Using Pivot Charts .......................................................145
     Method 1: Turn the Pivot Table into Hard Values ...................................145
     Method 2: Delete the Underlying Pivot Table ..........................................146
     Method 3: Distribute a Picture of the Pivot Chart ....................................146
     Method 4: Use Cells Linked Back to the Pivot Table as the Source Data for the Chart .............147
Using Conditional Formatting with Pivot Tables ...............................................149
     An Example of Using Conditional Formatting ...........................................149
     Preprogrammed Scenarios for Condition Levels ........................................151
Creating Custom Conditional Formatting Rules .............................................152
Next Steps...................................................................................................156

7 Analyzing Disparate Data Sources with Pivot Tables ................................157
Using the Internal Data Model ..................................................158
     Building Out Your First Data Model ............................................................158
     Managing Relationships in the Data Model ......................................162
     Adding a New Table to the Data Model .................................................163
     Removing a Table from the Data Model ...................................................165
     Creating a New Pivot Table Using the Data Model ........................................166
     Limitations of the Internal Data Model ...............................................................167
Building a Pivot Table Using External Data Sources .............................................168
     Building a Pivot Table with Microsoft Access Data....................................................169
     Building a Pivot Table with SQL Server Data ......................................................171
Leveraging Power Query to Extract and Transform Data .............................................174
     Power Query Basics..................................................................175
     Understanding Query Steps ..........................................................181
     Refreshing Power Query Data ....................................................183
     Managing Existing Queries ................................................................183
     Understanding Column-Level Actions ............................................185
     Understanding Table Actions ..........................................................187
     Power Query Connection Types ......................................................188
Next Steps..........................................................................................192

8 Sharing Pivot Tables with Others ........................................193
Designing a Workbook as an Interactive Web Page .......................................................193
Sharing a Link to a Web Workbook ................................................................196
Sharing with Power BI ...............................................................................196
     Preparing Data for Power BI ...........................................................197
     Importing Data to Power BI .........................................................................197
     Building a Report in Power BI ...................................................199
     Using Q&A to Query Data ........................................................200
     Sharing Your Dashboard ..............................................................202
Next Steps........................................................................202

9 Working with and Analyzing OLAP Data ..........................203
Introduction to OLAP .............................................................................203
Connecting to an OLAP Cube .....................................................204
Understanding the Structure of an OLAP Cube ...................................................207
Understanding the Limitations of OLAP Pivot Tables .........................................208
Creating an Offline Cube ...................................................209
Breaking Out of the Pivot Table Mold with Cube Functions ................................211
     Exploring Cube Functions ............................................................212
Adding Calculations to OLAP Pivot Tables .....................................................213
     Creating Calculated Measures ............................................................214
     Creating Calculated Members ..................................................217
     Managing OLAP Calculations ............................................................220
     Performing What-If Analysis with OLAP Data .....................................220
Next Steps...............................................................................222

10 Mashing Up Data with Power Pivot ...................................223
Understanding the Benefits and Drawbacks of Power Pivot and the Data Model ............223
     Merging Data from Multiple Tables Without Using VLOOKUP ..................................223
     Importing 100 Million Rows into a Workbook .....................................................224
     Creating Better Calculations Using the DAX Formula Language ...........................224
     Other Benefits of the Power Pivot Data Model in All Editions of Excel .........................224
     Benefits of the Full Power Pivot Add-in with Excel Pro Plus ...................................225
     Understanding the Limitations of the Data Model .................................225
Joining Multiple Tables Using the Data Model in Regular Excel 2016 ..............................226
     Preparing Data for Use in the Data Model ..................................227
     Adding the First Table to the Data Model ...................................................228
     Adding the Second Table and Defining a Relationship ......................................229
     Tell Me Again–Why Is This Better Than Doing a VLOOKUP? ..............................230
     Creating a New Pivot Table from an Existing Data Model ....................................232
     Getting a Distinct Count ...........................................................232
Using the Power Pivot Add-in Excel 2016 Pro Plus .....................................234
     Enabling Power Pivot ....................................................................234
     Importing a Text File Using Power Query ............................................235
     Adding Excel Data by Linking ..................................................................236
     Defining Relationships ...........................................................................236
     Adding Calculated Columns Using DAX ......................................................237
     Building a Pivot Table ....................................................................237
Understanding Differences Between Power Pivot and Regular Pivot Tables ............................238
Using DAX Calculations .............................................................239
     Using DAX Calculations for Calculated Columns ................................................239
     Using DAX to Create a Calculated Field in a Pivot Table ...........................240
     Filtering with DAX Calculated Fields ...............................................240
     Defining a DAX Calculated Field ..................................................240
     Using Time Intelligence .............................................................242
Next Steps.....................................................................................243

11 Dashboarding with Power View and 3D Map ..........................245
Preparing Data for Power View ....................................................245
Creating a Power View Dashboard .............................................................247
     Every New Dashboard Element Starts as a Table ................................................249
     Subtlety Should Be Power View’s Middle Name .........................................249
     Converting a Table to a Chart .............................................................250
     Adding Drill-down to a Chart ........................................251
     Beginning a New Element by Dragging a Field to a Blank Spot on the Canvas ..............252
     Filtering One Chart with Another One ...............................................252
     Adding a Real Slicer ..............................................................................253
     Understanding the Filters Pane ..................................................................254
     Using Tile Boxes to Filter a Chart or a Group of Charts .....................................255
Replicating Charts Using Multiples .................................................256
Showing Data on a Map......................................................257
Using Images ..........................................................................258
Changing a Calculation ..........................................................................259
Animating a Scatter Chart over Time .............................................259
Some Closing Tips on Power View ......................................................261
Analyzing Geographic Data with 3D Map ................................................261
     Preparing Data for 3D Map ............................................261
     Geocoding Data .........................................................................262
     Building a Column Chart in 3D Map ...............................................264
     Navigating Through the Map.......................................................264
     Labeling Individual Points ....................................................................266
     Building Pie or Bubble Charts on a Map............................266
     Using Heat Maps and Region Maps ........................................266
     Exploring 3D Map Settings ............................................................267
     Fine-Tuning 3D Map .....................................................................268
     Animating Data over Time ........................................................269
     Building a Tour ................................................................................270
     Creating a Video from 3D Map...................................................271
Next Steps.........................................................................274

12 Enhancing Pivot Table Reports with Macros ................275
Why Use Macros with Pivot Table Reports ................................275
Recording a Macro ..................................................................276
Creating a User Interface with Form Controls .................................278
Altering a Recorded Macro to Add Functionality.................................280
     Inserting a Scrollbar Form Control ............................................281
Next Steps......................................................288

13 Using VBA to Create Pivot Tables.................................289
Enabling VBA in Your Copy of Excel .....................................289
Using a File Format That Enables Macros ..................................290
Visual Basic Editor .................................................................291
Visual Basic Tools .........................................................291
The Macro Recorder ..................................................................292
Understanding Object-Oriented Code ................................................292
Learning Tricks of the Trade ........................................................293
     Writing Code to Handle a Data Range of Any Size ..............................293
     Using Super-Variables: Object Variables .................................................294
     Using With and End With to Shorten Code ................................................295
Understanding Versions .....................................................................295
Building a Pivot Table in Excel VBA ......................................296
     Adding Fields to the Data Area ..............................................................298
     Formatting the Pivot Table ..........................................................299
Dealing with Limitations of Pivot Tables .................................................301
     Filling Blank Cells in the Data Area ....................................................301
     Filling Blank Cells in the Row Area ............................................302
     Preventing Errors from Inserting or Deleting Cells ...............................302
     Controlling Totals ................................................................302
     Converting a Pivot Table to Values .................................................304
Pivot Table 201: Creating a Report Showing Revenue by Category ..............307
     Ensuring That Tabular Layout Is Utilized....................................309
     Rolling Daily Dates Up to Years ........................................309
     Eliminating Blank Cells .............................................................311
     Controlling the Sort Order with AutoSort .........................................312
     Changing the Default Number Format ................................................312
     Suppressing Subtotals for Multiple Row Fields ...............................313
     Handling Final Formatting .............................................................................315
     Adding Subtotals to Get Page Breaks ..............................................315
     Putting It All Together .........................................................317
Calculating with a Pivot Table .............................................................................319
     Addressing Issues with Two or More Data Fields ..................................319
     Using Calculations Other Than Sum ............................................................321
     Using Calculated Data Fields ......................................................323
     Using Calculated Items .................................................................324
     Calculating Groups ..........................................................................326
     Using Show Values As to Perform Other Calculations ...................................327
Using Advanced Pivot Table Techniques .......................................329
     Using AutoShow to Produce Executive Overviews .........................................329
     Using ShowDetail to Filter a Recordset ..............................................332
     Creating Reports for Each Region or Model ................................................334
     Manually Filtering Two or More Items in a Pivot Field .....................................338
     Using the Conceptual Filters .................................................339
     Using the Search Filter .....................................................................342
     Setting Up Slicers to Filter a Pivot Table .............................................343
Using the Data Model in Excel 2016 ...................................................345
     Adding Both Tables to the Data Model ..................................................346
     Creating a Relationship Between the Two Tables ............................................346
     Defining the Pivot Cache and Building the Pivot Table ........................................347
     Adding Model Fields to the Pivot Table ........................................................348
     Adding Numeric Fields to the Values Area ......................................348
     Putting It All Together ......................................................349
Next Steps....................................................................351

14 Advanced Pivot Table Tips and Techniques .....................353
Tip 1: Force Pivot Tables to Refresh Automatically........................................353
Tip 2: Refresh All Pivot Tables in a Workbook at the Same Time ...................................354
Tip 3: Sort Data Items in a Unique Order, Not Ascending or Descending ....................355
Tip 4: Turn Pivot Tables into Hard Data .............................................355
Tip 5: Fill the Empty Cells Left by Row Fields .........................................356
     Option 1: Implement the Repeat All Data Items Feature ..................................356
     Option 2: Use Excel’s Go To Special Functionality ..............................357
Tip 6: Add a Rank Number Field to a Pivot Table ...........................359
Tip 7: Reduce the Size of Pivot Table Reports .........................360
     Delete the Source Data Worksheet ......................................360
Tip 8: Create an Automatically Expanding Data Range .................................361
Tip 9: Compare Tables Using a Pivot Table ..........................361
Tip 10: AutoFilter a Pivot Table .............................................363
Tip 11: Force Two Number Formats in a Pivot Table ..................................364
Tip 12: Create a Frequency Distribution with a Pivot Table ..................................366
Tip 13: Use a Pivot Table to Explode a Data Set to Different Tabs .................... 367

Tip 14: Apply Restrictions on Pivot Tables and Pivot Fields .........................................368
     Pivot Table Restrictions ......................................................368
     Pivot Field Restrictions ...................................................370
Tip 15: Use a Pivot Table to Explode a Data Set to Different Workbooks .....................372
Next Steps..................................................................373

15 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. GetPivotData ...................................................375
Avoiding the Evil GetPivotData Problem ..........................................................376
     Preventing GetPivotData by Typing the Formula..................................379
     Simply Turning Off GetPivotData ..................................................379
     Speculating on Why Microsoft Forced GetPivotData on Us ............................380
Using GetPivotData to Solve Pivot Table Annoyances .........................381
     Building an Ugly Pivot Table .............................................382
     Building the Shell Report ..............................................................385
     Using GetPivotData to Populate the Shell Report ..........................387
     Updating the Report in Future Months ..................................390
Conclusion .................................................................391

Index .......................................393

About the Author

Bill Jelen, Excel MVP and the host of MrExcel.com, has been using spreadsheets since 1985, and he launched the MrExcel.com website in 1998. Bill was a regular guest on Call for Help with Leo Laporte and has produced more than 1,900 episodes of his daily video podcast, Learn Excel from MrExcel. He is the author of 49 books about Microsoft Excel and writes the monthly Excel column for Strategic Finance magazine. Before founding MrExcel.com, Bill Jelen spent 12 years in the trenches, working as a financial analyst for the finance, marketing, accounting, and operations departments of a $500 million public
company. He lives in Merritt Island, Florida, with his wife, Mary Ellen.

Mike Alexander is a Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) and author of several books on advanced business analysis with Microsoft Access and Excel. He has more than 15 years of experience consulting and developing Office solutions. Mike has been named a Microsoft MVP for his ongoing contributions to the Excel community. In his spare time, he runs a free tutorial site, www.datapigtechnologies.com, where he shares basic Access and Excel tips to the Office community.