Spreadsheets are great for organizing data, but Google Sheets can be challenging to manage when you have a lot of it. However, this is where pivot tables and our tutorial come into play.
This article will introduce you to using the Google Sheets pivot table tool to make data organization more accessible and practical. After understanding this article, you should be able to comprehend the fundamentals of pivoting Google Sheets data sets and the fundamentals of using the Google Sheets report editor.
What are Pivot Tables
A spreadsheet is simply a collection of columns and rows. When you include some equations, this becomes better for people with data input skills to understand the numbers inside the cells — but when your spreadsheet grows large enough so that reading through every little calculation becomes difficult (especially if they’re all on separate pages), pivot tables come into play.
Pivot tables are unquestionably one of the most helpful spreadsheet tools for organizing and analyzing data. It makes it easier to read through large amounts while delivering vital insights to readers who don’t want or need extra numbers clogging up their brains.
How to Make Pivot Tables on Google Sheets?
Step 1: Make the pivot table.
Begin by opening your Google Sheets file. Then, locate the pivot table icon on the top menu bar and click it to activate it. After that, click “pivot table” and select the data set you wish to use for the Google spreadsheets report editor. It should be the one with different values assigned to each row of numbers. If necessary, add or remove columns from your Google sheet before proceeding so that everything fits together correctly within the layout style of your spreadsheet.
Step 2: Pivot Table Editor
The Pivot Table Editor provides two choices for adding or removing data from your pivot table. You can use Google’s suggested rows, values, and goals or manually change your pivot table.
We’ll go over both of these possibilities.
- Suggestions for pivot tables
Google’s built-in AI makes it simple to create your pivot table!
To use it, follow the same fundamental procedures as when adding your information and variables, but rather than adding them one by one – which can take hours if there are a lot of them – Google creates pre-built pivot table alternatives for you. The recommended pivot table aims are usually precise. But, before you go any farther, double-check everything.
- Explore tool
- Click the star-shaped symbol on the bottom right of the Google Sheet to access the Google Sheets Explore tool.
- The Explore window will appear with a few suggestions based on your data.
- You can produce particular tabular and visual presentation options for your data in various preferred formats by searching for it and clicking the right option.
- Manual Option
Another option is to edit the pivot table manually.
But, before you go in, be sure you understand what each option means:
The four different headers will come to the top of all newly created pivots – keep an eye open for them, so they don’t get lost amid the other choices on the screen.
- Row label — Your Google spreadsheet data set’s column headers.
- Column label — Describes or values each row in your Google Sheets pivot table. You can add new ones to this section by clicking on any space within this section. More the rows and columns there are, the more information there is to filter through.
- Values/Goals – The location of all numbers once they have been sorted depending on their weight or aim. If it hasn’t previously been filled up with preset categories for sorting, choose “value” from the dropdown list above it before beginning another manual process if necessary.
- Filters — You can use filters to narrow down your pivot table results. For example, you can use a date filter if you only want to see projects completed or delivered in December.
Step 3: Building the Report
The following three stages will assist you in creating a readable Google Sheets report.
But first, pick Rows and Values in the Pivot table editor to add the data.
Now, let’s get started on your report:
1. Insert rows
Within the Pivot table editor, navigate to the Add Rows category. Next, choose one row for the pivot table to incorporate data from the selected column in your pivot table. The data will be shown as row headings.
2. Include columns
The Values data will be displayed with aggregated information for each column.
3. Include values
Select Values. You will see the same set of column headings.
Choose one, and the pivot table will summarize that particular column.
Conclusion
The Pivot Table is Google Sheets’ response to the PivotTable feature in Microsoft Excel. This feature enables the user to swiftly summarize a vast quantity of structured data with a few mouse clicks, providing a powerful tool for free. Pivot Tables can be more challenging to master, but this article will help you master them by considering the most typical data analysis requests.
