Presenting Data Dynamically with Pivot Tables

Overview

Many organisations are faced with information overload with vast amounts of detailed data being generated as part of standard operations. The challenge facing a decision maker is one of making sense from this mass of data. Data analysis involves extracting meaning that is solution oriented from data that is a simple record of events. The approach to doing this involves summarising the data to focus on key aspects and extracting meaning from these summaries.

Topics Covered

In this Short Course we use a very powerful capability of the Excel spreadsheet environment namely Pivot Table Analysis. A pivot table gives you deep insight into your data that may not always be obvious. It enables you to crunch large volumes of data into meaningful and understandable summaries; yet you can also drill down into any part of the summarised data to examine details at finer levels. The basis used to summarise data can be defined in numerous ways depending on the nature of the questions you want to ask. Finally, we will use various graphical displays to visualise what the data is telling you.

This Short Course will cover:

• Modelling a problem with pivot table fundamentals
• Creating and customising pivot tables
• Controlling how you view pivot data
• Pivot charts and other visualisations
• Sharing pivot tables

Who should attend

The Short Course assumes that you have a working knowledge of Excel. We will then build on this knowledge to focus on pivot table analysis as a particular feature of the Excel environment. If you deal with data from which you need to draw meaning, you will find this approach to data analysis to be very useful.

Outcomes

At the end of the Short Course, you should have a high degree of confidence in using pivot table analysis as an effective problem solving technique. You should also be able to apply your skills to new situations. Finally you should be motivated to explore pivot table applications to improve the quality of your analysis.