
However, there isn’t much you can say about a table with thousands of rows just by looking at it with the naked eye and scrolling up and down. The very goal of any analysis is to draw insight from this raw data. A database or a dataset typically contains all the information you have been provided with on a certain subject. This is a very important concept when it comes to conducting data analysis. The name “pivot table” actually offers quite a good clue as to their importance and the role pivot tables play in analysis the dictionary definition of a pivot is a ‘central point, pin, or shaft on which a mechanism turns or oscillates’. The data summarized in a pivot table might include sums, averages, or other statistics which the pivot table groups together in a meaningful way.

These bigger tables could be a database, an Excel spreadsheet, or any data that is or could be converted in a table-like form. What is a pivot table?Ī pivot table is a summary tool that wraps up or summarizes information sourced from bigger tables.

We’ve divided our guide into the following sections: In this post, we’ll provide a clear and comprehensive introduction to pivot tables, and show you what you can achieve by using them. So what exactly is a pivot table, and what are pivot tables used for? Pivot tables are a staple in any kind of analysis, and, if you’re building a career in data, you’ll come across them quite often in your day-to-day work. You might have even used a pivot table already, perhaps without realizing it.

If you are an aspiring data analyst, you have probably heard of pivot tables.
