Definition
Pivot Table
Also called: pivot, cross-tab.
A pivot table summarises a larger table by grouping rows and aggregating values — counts, sums, averages — so patterns become visible.
A pivot table summarises a larger table by grouping rows on one or more fields and aggregating values — counts, sums, averages — so patterns that are invisible in raw rows become obvious. It is the workhorse of spreadsheet analysis.
When to use one
Reach for a pivot table when you want to answer “total by category” or “average by month” questions quickly — revenue by region, orders by product, sessions by channel. It is flexible and interactive.
The trade-off
Pivot tables are powerful but manual: you rebuild them each time the data changes, and they live inside a spreadsheet. When you want the same summary as a presentable, repeatable dashboard — or one that refreshes on a schedule — a generator that produces the summary automatically is faster than re-pivoting by hand.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- Is a pivot table the same as a dashboard?
- No. A pivot table is an interactive summary inside a spreadsheet; a dashboard is a presentable screen of metrics and charts. A dashboard often shows the result of pivot-style aggregation, but it is built to be read and shared.
- What is the downside of pivot tables?
- They are manual and tied to a spreadsheet — you rebuild them when the data changes. For recurring summaries, an automated dashboard that refreshes on a schedule is less work.
Related terms
Dashboard
A dashboard is a single screen that shows the key metrics and charts for a topic, so you can read the state of things at a glance.
Read definition → DefinitionETL (Extract, Transform, Load)
ETL stands for Extract, Transform, Load — the three steps of moving data from a source, cleaning and reshaping it, and writing it to a destination.
Read definition →