In the world of modern business, data is everything. Data helps us make better decisions. Data helps us solve problems within the business. Data helps you understand your customers.
That is why organizations worldwide are doing their best in capturing data and interpreting them. The capturing part is easier. Most of the tools and applications businesses use eir own data logging feature/capability. That means every piece of data that goes through your organization gets recorded to be used and interpreted.
But that’s where it gets a bit dicey.
A few lines of raw data is good to see a few pieces of information. But when you are dealing with thousands if not tens of thousands of lines of raw data then it gets really complicated. You need to find a way to tackle this data in a way that it becomes comprehensible – and presentable.
Well, what you need is a pivot table.
What Is A Pivot Table?
A pivot table is just another way of looking at your data. It’s a feature that comes with Microsoft Excel and it allows you to restructure (or pivot) raw data in different ways. This way, you can transform lines and lines of raw data into something more pleasing and easier to understand.
But how can pivot tables help your organization? Is it just good at showing data in a way that people easily understand? Well, pivot tables can help you in a lot of different ways. Let’s try to talk about each one.
What Are The Benefits of Using Pivot Tables in Your Business?
Easy to Use
The biggest advantage of pivot tables is the fact that it is very easy to use. Assuming it has been set up properly, one can easily summarize or rearrange data any way they like by dragging columns to different sections of the table. You can also re-arrange the columns in any way you want with a few clicks of a mouse. This drag-and-drop feature makes it easy for anybody to make a table or report from an existing data set. You also don’t have to be a data expert to work something out because pivot tables come with plenty of mathematical formulas for simple or complex computations.
Easy, One Look Data Analysis
The very purpose of pivot tables is to provide the user with a different, and often easier way to look at raw data. Through the help of pivot tables, you can handle large amounts of data in just one go. You are given the option to look at the “big picture” instead of each data entry which makes analyzing easier and faster. It’s a good way to get a good idea of how each data point relates to the others right away.
Easy Data Summary
Got lots of data but not sure where it’s going? Pivot tables allow you to summarize data quickly. Pivot tables can transform thousands of rows and columns of raw data into something that you can easily understand. Want to focus on a couple of data fields? You can do that with a pivot table. Businesses that go through a lot of data can easily be overwhelmed if they don’t process them properly. With a pivot table, you won’t ever be intimidated by large amounts of raw data again. Instead, you will be excited about what you can get from the data.
Easy Pattern Recognition
Data analysis often revolves around finding a pattern amongst the chaos. These patterns will be key in helping you make better decisions for your business. When you look at a large data set, it will be hard for you to see any pattern until you look at every piece of data. However, with a pivot table, you can customize the table so it will be easier for you to see patterns in the data. Want to know what time of day most customers buy a specific product? Knowing these things will give you ammunition to create changes within your organization for the better.
Easy and Quick Report Generation
Sure it’s all nice and dandy to be able to look at data and see all the patterns but it is all for nothing if you can’t present it properly to other people, right? Pivot tables provide users the capability to create comprehensive and visual reports with just a few clicks of a button. It is also worth noting that because pivot tables can easily be re-arranged, you are also able to present data in a variety of ways. This gives you a very powerful tool that will allow you to visualize and concretize data for others.
Are Pivot Tables All That Good?
While pivot tables can be a game-changer for a lot of businesses, it’s not all glittery and gold.
For starters, it takes time to learn how to create pivot tables correctly. While every tool you need is on your screen, mastering it can take months or years. Pivot tables can also be resource-hungry especially when you include calculations and equations. This means an older computer can struggle. Lastly, the platform itself has its limit. Users claim that by around 200,000 entries the application can screech to a grinding halt even with newer computers.
So if you are a small or medium-sized business, learning how to use pivot tables can be worth it. It might take time to master but it gives you the power to be able to look at data and to use them to propel your business to success. But if you are a larger organization handling hundreds of thousands of data entries then it might not be the best solution for you. However, there are a lot of Enterprise-level data analysis tools out there that will be perfect for you.
If you and your team are interested in using Microsoft Excel for its pivot table feature, you might find that the guys from Initial.IT can be of great help. Initial.IT is a Denver-based IT support company that specializes in providing no-excuses IT services to small and medium-sized organizations. With an average customer relationship length of 9.75 years, you can be sure you are in good IT hands with Initial IT. Give them a call today.
