Create a PivotTable

Example: We have a database listing salesperson expenses for the month of August.  Now we want to analyse those expenses according to the amount each salesperson spent, in each of our eight categories.

1. With the active cell within the database, choose Data - PivotTable and PivotChart Report.

2. At Step 1 of the Wizard, the defaults are Microsoft Excel list or database and PivotTable.  That's fine, so we click Next.

3. At Step 2, Excel suggests our database as the range of data to be used in the table.  Click Next.

4. At Step 3, Excel asks where to put the table, as a new worksheet or in an existing sheet.  We'll select New worksheet and click on Finish.

5. From the field buttons on the PivotTable Toolbar, drag the field that you want displayed in rows to the section labelled Drop Row Fields Here.  In this case, we'd drag the Category field.

6. Drag the field you want displayed as columns to the section labelled Drop Column Fields Here.  In this case, we'd drag the Salesperson field.

7. Drag the field containing the data you want summarized to the section labelled Drop Data Items Here.  Here, we'd drag the Amount field.

8. Excel creates the PivotTable, analysing the expenditures of each of our three salespeople, in each of the eight categories.