Q1. Have you ever been in Moldova? (Vasile Taievorba)
A. No! I’d love to go though!
Q2. Why should data be formatted as a table first? (Terry Winship)
A. We format our dataset as an Excel table first because tables auto-expand. That means, when new data is added to the bottom, the table will expand to accommodate it. We then just need to right-click and Refresh the PivotTable to include the new data.
If we don’t put our data in a table, this will not happen.
Q3. How do you calculate a MEDIAN in a PivotTable? (Ting Kong)
A. PivotTables don’t have an aggregation option that calculates the MEDIAN. The closes we have is AVERAGE (right-click on the values > Summarize By > AVERAGE).
However, there is a workaround. You can read about it
here.
Q4. What is the best, Filters or Slicers? (Roos Hollander)
A. Both Filters and Slicers serve a similar purpose – they filter data. It’s mostly down to personal preference, however, I would recommend slicers if you are going to be presenting the data to other people. Slicers are more visual, interesting, look great on dashboards and are easy for beginners to use.
Q5. Is having multiple Filters the same as having multiple Slicers? (Katie Waldron)
A. Both filter data so technically, yes, they do the same job. One is more visual than the other.
Q6. Can we add more data into the original source? (Sandra A. Tarsitano)
A. Yes! Make sure you format the dataset as an Excel table first, then when new data is added you simply need to refresh the PivotTable to include it.
Q7. How do I add a new PivotTable to my sheet? Or is it best to keep just one PivotTable per sheet? (Christina)
A. You can have more than one PivotTable on a sheet. Simply choose ‘Existing sheet’ when creating the PivotTable and select a cell on the worksheet where you want it to go.
It’s entirely personal preference. If you want more than one PivotTable on a sheet, GO FOR IT! 😊 However I would always keep PivotTables separate from the dataset.
Q8. Can you Pivot on more than one dataset? (Katie Waldron)
A. Yes you can using Power Query. Video demonstration
here
Q9. Can you Pivot on more than one dataset? (Katie Waldron)
A. Yes you can using Power Query.
Q10. Can you merge the region column and center it? (Nicky)
A. Go to the PivotTable Analyze tab > Options. On the Layout & Format tab there is a checkbox to Merge and center cells with labels.
Q11. Is there a way for a PivotTable to produce text values? (Dasha Henderson)
A. Traditionally, no. When you add a text field to the values area the default is to do a COUNT. You can do it using DAX functions. See explanation
here.
Q12. When you have made those separate regional reports and your data changes, do you need to refresh every report separately or will it be automatically be done when you refresh your ‘All report’? (Lenneke van der Weegen)
A. Yes. If you create multiple reports using Report Filter Pages, you only need to refresh one PivotTable and they will all update.
Q13. Is there a way to bring up the Format Axis without using CTRL+1? (Nicky)
A. Yes! Right-click on the axis and select Format Axis from the menu.
Q14. Is this compatible below the Office 365 version? (MD Zahid)
A. Yes. PivotTables are available to all versions of Office after 2003. Their will be small differences in functionality between the versions with Microsoft 365, 2021 and the new 2024 version being the most up to date.
Q15. Is there a way to set up the PivotTable so it automatically refreshes?
A. Currently, the PivotTable won’t auto-refresh when the data changes. We need to click Refresh.
You can set the PivotTable to automatically refresh when you open the file.
- Select the pivot table
- Select the PivotTable Analyze tab
- Select Options
- On the Data tab, select Refresh data when opening the file
Q16. How can we get your course? (Nicky)
A. You will receive the details and a link to the product page with the webinar recording and this document!
Q17. Sometimes the slicers linked in dashboard are not working. What is the reason? (MD Zahid)
A. If the slicer is not working in the dashboard its most likely because its not connected to the PivotChart. By default, the slicer will only be connected to the PivotChart you were clicked on when you inserted it. If you want the slicer to control all Pivot Charts, right-click > Report Connections > check the box next to the Pivot Charts.
Q18. Would it be possible to paste a new set of the same column headed data over your existing table and retain the same pivot tables to allow you to just refresh without recreating the pivot tables for the new data? (Mac)
A. Yes. If you copy and paste data over the top in your data source you would just need to refresh the PivotTable.
Q19. How do we pay? She’s worth more! (Douglas B Emes II)
A. Oh thank you! This email will contain a link where you can buy the PivotTables course. 😊