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A PivotTable is an interactive table which allows the user to transpose, filter, sort, and aggregate large amounts of data into a single table format. ExcelWriter works with PivotTables in two ways: include a PivotTable in an ExcelTemplate
template file or manipulate PivotTables programmatically with ExcelApplication
. This article provides a brief overview on the functionality of PivotTables.
A PivotTable uses a two-dimensional area of cells for a data source. The first row in the data source must contain names for each column of data and the data source must contain at least one row of data. The data can include regular values or formulas, but it must be a continuous area of cells.
Here is an example of a data source for a PivotTable:
When a PivotTable is created using the data source, a copy of this data is stored in the pivot cache or PivotTable cache. Multiple PivotTables can use data from the same pivot cache.
After a PivotTable has been created, it is given a default area that is 3 columns wide and 18 rows tall until the source fields are used to create additional PivotTable fields.
A list of source fields is automatically generated based on the column names from the data source. These fields are used for building other types of PivotTable fields, such as report filters, column labels, row labels, or data fields.
There are numerous settings that can be applied to a PivotTable. These are available by right-clicking on the PivotTable and going to PivotTable Options in Excel. The settings are organized into groups, based on how they affect the PivotTable.
In ExcelTemplate, just set these properties on the PivotTable in Excel. In ExcelApplication, these properties are available through |
Take special note of the data options, particularly Refresh data when opening the file and Number of items to retain per field, as they are important for ensuring properly rendered PivotTables in ExcelWriter output. More details are available in our ExcelTemplate Templates and PivotTables and ExcelApplication Creating a Basic PivotTable tutorials. |
A PivotTable is made up of different PivotTable fields, which can perform different actions on data. PivotTable fields are created from source fields. In Excel this is done by dragging a source field into one of the pivot field areas.
An example of PivotTable fields created from source fields.
Row labels and Column Labels group the same values together to nest data and display subtotals for different groups.
Report Filters, or page fields,