Slicing Pivot Tables

A little over a year ago, I discussed Slicers in this blog.  At that time, a review of how Slicers (which debuted in Excel 2010) could be applied to regular tables in Excel.  In a recent class on Pivot Tables, a surge of interest among my students in the topic of Slicers has prompted me to revisit this comparatively new, and very useful, tool.

A Pivot Table is, of course, a fabulous tool in itself.  Combining Slicers into it makes it even better.  The main reasons they are so cool, is because they:

1.   Enable filtering the contents of your pivot table on more than one field

2.   Automatically update as additional data is entered

3.   Are Additive – you can keep applying more filters as you develop the view you are seeking.

4.   Provide an engaging, customizable interface for the users of your workbook (see example below…)

Regarding the 4^th point addressed above, you have the option of reshaping and recoloring your Slicers.  Since they float, you can put them wherever you wish, giving your interactive report a crisp, professional look (how Cool is that!).

How to Add Slicers to Your Pivot Table:

1.   Select one of the cells in your pivot table, and click the Insert Slicer button in the Sort & Filter group of the PivotTable Options ribbon

2.   Select the Check Boxes for the fields that you want to use as filters in your pivot table and click OK

Badda-bing!  That’s all there is to it!  Need a way to spruce up your Pivot Table report?  Give Slicers a try!