Maybe you think that you can just click and type formulas into a Pivot Table? Possibly you think that you can use formulas in Pivot Tables in the same way as you would usually enter formulas in Excel?
However, if you think that, you would be wrong. The reason is that you need to use what are known as Calculated Fields to write formulas in Pivot Tables in Excel.
Now if you want step by step instructions on how to do this, I can heartily recommend this how to add a calculated field to a Pivot Table guide.
In this way you will see how to calculate profit by subtracting the expenses away from the money received. You will also see how to work out how much profit you have made as a percentage.
Now, obviously, you need to create a Pivot Table. Before you do that, it would also be a good idea to create a Table. Even before you create a table you need to get your data structured correctly.
Wanting to create a Calculated field in a Pivot Table? Here is how you do it.
- Open Excel and locate the pivot table that you want to work with. To get started, open the Excel workbook that contains the pivot table you want to modify. Once you’ve opened the workbook, navigate to the sheet that contains the pivot table you want to work with.
- Select any cell within the pivot table. You can select any cell within the pivot table to begin creating your calculated field. This is the cell where the new calculated field will appear once it is created.
- Go to the “Analyse” or “Options” tab on the ribbon. This is where you’ll find the options for creating a new calculated field. Depending on which version of Excel you are using, this tab may be labelled differently.
- Click on the “Fields, Items, and Sets” button. This button will open a dialog box that contains options for creating and modifying fields, items, and sets within the pivot table.
- In the dialog box that appears, click on the “Calculated Field” option. This option will allow you to create a new field based on a formula that you define. Once you click on this option, a new dialog box will appear.
- Type a name for your new calculated field in the “Name” field. This is where you’ll give your new calculated field a name that is descriptive and meaningful. The name should make it clear what the calculated field represents.
- Enter a formula for your calculated field in the “Formula” field. This is where you’ll define the formula that will be used to calculate the values for your new field. The formula can include other fields in the pivot table and mathematical operators, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
- Click “OK” to create your new calculated field. Once you’ve entered the name and formula for your calculated field, click “OK” to create the field. The new calculated field will now appear in your pivot table.
- Admire your new calculated field, which should now be displayed within the pivot table. Your new calculated field should now be displayed in the pivot table, allowing you to analyse your data using this new field.
Creating a calculated field in a pivot table can be useful for performing calculations on data that is not already included in the pivot table. For example, you may want to calculate the profit margin for each product or the percentage of sales for a particular category. By creating a calculated field, you can easily perform these types of calculations and include them in your pivot table analysis.
It is important to choose a name for your calculated field that is descriptive and meaningful. This will help you and others understand what the field represents when analysing the data in the pivot table.
When entering a formula for your calculated field, be sure to use the correct syntax for Excel formulas. You can include other fields in the pivot table by using their field names or cell references, such as “Sales” or “B2”. You can also use mathematical operators, such as addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), and division (/), to perform calculations on these fields.
Once you have created your calculated field, you can use it like any other field in the pivot table. You can sort, filter, and format the field, as well as use it in pivot table calculations and charts.
In conclusion, creating a calculated field in pivot tables in Excel can be a powerful tool for analysing and visualising data. By following these steps, you can easily create a new calculated field and perform custom calculations on your pivot table data.