Special Edition Using Microsoft® Office XP

How PivotTable and PivotChart Reports Work

PivotTables and PivotCharts are powerful tools for automatically summarizing and analyzing data without ever having to add a formula or function. As the name implies, you start with a list in table format, snap the rows and columns into position on a grid, and end up with a sorted, grouped, summarized, totaled, and subtotaled report. PivotTable reports are best for cross-tabulating lists—the more categories, the better. You can reduce a list of thousands of items to a single line, showing totals by category or quarter. Or you can create complex, multilevel groupings that show total sales by employee, grouped by product category and by quarter. You can hide or show detail for each group with a quick double-click. ...