Excel 2016 - PivotTables & PivotCharts

Overview

This practical, example-driven guide teaches how to summarize, analyze, and visualize data in Excel 2016 using PivotTables, PivotCharts, slicers, and filters. Geared toward beginner-to-intermediate users, the material emphasizes hands-on workflows that let you build interactive summaries and dashboards without relying on complex formulas. Clear, task-focused steps and visual tips help you move from basic data organization to repeatable, presentation-ready analysis.

What you will learn

• Create and configure PivotTables to aggregate and explore large datasets quickly.
• Build PivotCharts that stay synchronized with PivotTable filters and layout changes.
• Use filters, slicers, and timeline controls to focus analysis and enable interactive reporting.
• Arrange fields (Filters, Rows, Columns, Values) and apply grouping to reveal trends and comparisons.
• Format and maintain dashboards—refreshing data, preserving layouts, and choosing effective chart types.

How this guide approaches learning

Rather than presenting only conceptual descriptions, the guide walks you through common tasks and real scenarios. It starts with preparing source tables for reliable analysis, then demonstrates how to reshape views by moving fields and applying aggregate functions (sum, average, count). Each technique is shown within a use case so you see not just how a feature works, but when to use it for clearer insights.

Slicers and timeline controls are treated as primary tools for interactivity: the guide explains inserting slicers, linking them across multiple PivotTables and charts, and customizing their layout and style for usability. Practical tips cover selecting the right chart type, grouping dates for period analysis, and using calculated fields or custom number formats to highlight key metrics.

Practical applications

The examples map directly to workplace needs: sales performance breakdowns by product and region, campaign comparisons for marketing, budget vs. actual reporting, inventory trend analysis, and summarizing survey results. Each example shows how to structure raw data, pick appropriate summary metrics, and present results so stakeholders can interact with the findings using slicers and charts.

Recommended hands-on projects

• Sales analysis: Build PivotTables to compare sales by product, region, and salesperson; add PivotCharts and shared slicers for interactive filtering.
• Executive dashboard: Combine multiple PivotTables and PivotCharts on a single sheet, link common slicers, and apply consistent formatting for quick stakeholder interpretation.
• Quarterly performance report: Group date fields to summarize by quarter, create trend charts, and use slicers to toggle between time ranges and segments.

How to use this guide effectively

Open Excel 2016 and follow the step-by-step examples with your own data or a sample table. Pause to experiment with moving fields between areas, changing aggregation types, and testing slicer interactions. Recreate the sample dashboards to learn layout and formatting best practices. Use the examples as templates you can adapt for your reports.

Quick glossary & FAQs

• PivotTable: An interactive table that groups and aggregates data to reveal patterns.
• PivotChart: A chart linked to a PivotTable that updates when the table changes.
• Slicer: A visual, clickable filter control that can drive multiple PivotTables and charts.
• Values area: The section where numeric summaries (sum, average, count) appear.

Do PivotCharts require a PivotTable? Yes — PivotCharts are linked to PivotTables so charted data reflects the same filters and groupings.

Why add slicers? Slicers make dashboards more intuitive by offering one-click filtering across multiple PivotTables and charts, improving exploration and presentation.

Overall, this guide focuses on practical steps to convert raw data into interactive, actionable reports using Excel 2016’s PivotTable and PivotChart tools—ideal for professionals and students seeking hands-on skills in data summarization and dashboarding.