What is the purpose of a pivot table in Excel?
Pivot tables exist to do multi-variable data analysis within Excel. They are one of the more powerful tools Excel has to offer, and are used for a wide range of purposes within the program.Pattern MatchingPivot tables allow you to find patterns in your data, based on criteria you select. This is their primary function in scientific analysis.SummarizationThe first uses of pivot tables were to create summaries based on specific criterion in a worksheet or workbook. These include changing data sources to compare sales data from quarter by quarter, limited to certain products, sales regions or sales agents.Database-Like FunctionsOne of the major limitations of Excel is that it can only arrange data in columns and rows. Database structures can be thought of as cubes or hypercubes. A pivot table can be used to get similar functions in Excel.Dynamic FormulasBy using conditional IF() and AND() statements, it’s possible to make pivot tables that can change the ranges of data they extract from.
