- Pivot tables are summary reports. It's really just that simple. Hi, my name is John, and, in this video, I'm going to explain one of the most powerful and amazing features of Excel. They have a name that can sound a bit advanced or intimidating, but pivot tables can actually be very easy to use. They will save you a ton of time when creating interactive reports and dashboards and make you look like an Excel hero. 

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In order to create a pivot table, you need some data. This can be any type of data. For this example, we'll look at sales data where each row represents one order. Let's say the boss asks to see a report of total revenue by month and region. We can use a pivot table to quickly create the report with just a few clicks. The great part about pivot tables is that you do not need to write any formulas. You just drag the column names or fields into the different areas of the report, and all the work is done for you. 

And pivot tables are highly flexible and customizable. If the boss changes their mind and they want to see the report by rep by quarter, you can make those changes in a matter of seconds. Pivot tables allow us to quickly visualize our data with pivot charts. These charts are connected to the pivot table, which means any changes to the pivot table will also automatically be reflected in the chart. 

Slicers can be added to filter the pivot tables and/or pivot charts. This makes your reports interactive, making it easier for your boss and your users to analyze different views and trends. We can also add multiple pivot charts to a sheet to create interactive dashboards. These dashboards can be created in a matter of minutes and don't require complex formulas or formatting. 

Pivot tables can also be used to compare multiple data sets, validate data, perform lookups, and more. They have a ton of uses and should be part of every data analyst's toolbox. Now, you've probably thought of several questions while watching this video. You might be saying, yeah, but can pivot tables do this? Or will they work with my data? I typically don't work with sales data. And the answer to those questions is usually yes. Pivot tables are incredibly flexible and have a lot of capabilities. 

Pivot tables are also the backbone of more advanced business intelligence tools like Power Pivot, Power BI, Tableau, and more. The most important and critical step in getting started with pivot tables is making sure your source data is in the correct layout. If your data looks like this, then it's going to be hard to create a pivot table. But don't worry, can use tools like Power Query to quickly transform it into the correct layout. 

I have a free, three-part video series on pivot tables and dashboards that will help you get started. And if you want to learn how you can use pivot tables with other modern Excel tools like Power Query, Power Pivot, Power BI, and even macros in VBA, then check out my free training webinar called the Modern Excel Blueprint. I'll put links to both of those resources in the description below. 

I hope this video helps you get started with one of the most incredible features in Excel. If you're new to our channel, hit the Subscribe button, and then leave a comment below with any questions or feedback. Thanks again for watching. Have a great day. And I'll see you in the next video. 

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