Excel Data Analysis For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 5

Building PivotTable Formulas

In This Chapter

Adding another standard calculation

Creating custom calculations

Using calculated fields and items

Retrieving data from a pivot table

Most of the techniques that I discuss in this chapter aren't things that you need to do very often. Most frequently, the cross-tabulated data that appears in a pivot table after you run the PivotTable Wizard are almost exactly what you need. And if not, a little bit of fiddling around with the item buttons gets the information into the perfect arrangement for your needs. (For more on the PivotTable Wizard, read through Chapter 4.)

On occasion, however, you'll find that you need to either grab information from a pivot table so that you can use it someplace else or that you need to hard-code calculations and add them to a pivot table. In these special cases, the techniques that I describe in this chapter might save you much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Adding Another Standard Calculation

Take a look at the pivot table shown in Figure 5-1. This pivot table shows coffee sales by state for an imaginary ...