MEM Excel Workshop
Advanced Sorting
Pivot Table Introduction
4.5.2012
http://faculty.fuqua.duke.edu/~pecklund/MEM2012
Our workshop topics
Advanced sorting techniques in Excel.
An introduction to Pivot Table techniques.
Material from
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT, DEC483
A Duke MBA elective course.
Excel 2010 running in a Windows environment.
What is structured data?
Unstructured data
Human-friendly
format.
Excel-unfriendly
format.
Structured data
The same data
as on the
previous slide.
Human-unfriendly
format.
Excel-friendly format.
A closer look
Nothing is assumed!
4 characteristics of Excel structured data
1. The data is in a contiguous range; there
are no entirely blank rows or columns.
2. First row contains column headers.
3. Each row is a record describing one item
or transaction. (All cells in the row hold
info about the same thing.)
4. Each column holds the same kind of data.
Can you recognize Excel structured data?
Five questions 
1/5- Structured data?
2/5 - Structured data?
3/5 - Structured data?
4/5 - Structured data?
5/5 - Structured data?
Why structure is important
Many Excel data management techniques
require/look for structured data.
Sort
Subtotal
Autofilter
Pivot Table
Advanced Filter
Database Functions
Group
Advanced Sorting Techniques
in Excel 2010
Workshop topic 1 of 2
Excel has two sorting tools
There are lots of “sorting facts”
Data can be sorted by row as well as by column.
Custom sorts can be specified.
Excel default sort order is:
- smallest to largest numbers
- special characters then alpha characters A-Z
- FALSE before TRUE
- Error values (all are equal)
- Blanks
With a descending sort, reverse all the above except blanks remain last.
Our sample data to sort
Worksheet: Sort Data
About this data:
- 967 records.
- All from Arizona.
- All fields but “Office Code”
are straightforward.
Task 1: Apply 4 sorts to the data
Sort the data using the Sort Dialog in this order:
1. Region: Sort ascending.
Most
important
2. Store Status: Sort in the order NEWVEN, then ESTAB,
and then OLDESTAB.
3. Day: Sort by cell color (first purple, then blue, and then
green).
4. Quantity: Sort by icon set (first yellow, then green, and
then red).
Least
important
Special: The Day & Quantity columns
These two columns are
conditionally formatted* to help
the user distinguish the cell
contents visually.
Here: By cell color and by icon.
* Home tab, Styles group, “Conditional Formatting” button
For this demo we use Excel’s Sort Dialog
When using the Sort dialog, the
first sort described is the dominant
sort.
As additional sorts are defined
in the dialog, their location indicates
their importance in the sort hierarchy.
The most important sort is
defined first and the least
important sort is defined last.
The first sort: Region
We immediately
encounter a problem.
Region (and Store Status)
are “hidden” inside the
Office Code field.
The 3 elements of data in
this column must be
separated out before we can
sort by region.
Data granulation
Does each column hold data that is broken
down into its smallest useful component?
no
The Office Code field holds
THREE components.
The Office Code field
and its 3 elements
Parse the REGION variables
Use a combination of
TEXT category
functions from
Excel’s function
library?
Sometimes the
only solution.
But not this
time.
We can use an easier method because
…the data to be parsed is
all in a regular pattern.
The regular pattern:
There are 3 elements in
each cell.
Each element is separated
from the next by a hyphen.
An easy way to parse the Office Code
1. Insert 2 empty columns to the right of Office Code.
2. Select all Office Code data values (not the header).
3. On the Data tab click the Text to Columns button.
Text to Columns Wizard
Set a hyphen as the delimiter
Text-to-Columns result
Rename Office Code to Region.
Population
Store status
Add Population and
Store Status headers.
The Region sort specification
Region is the first sort to specify in the “Sort” dialog.
Specify it first: Excel will sort it last, after the other three sorts.
Region
The 2nd sort: Store Status
Sort using this sort order:
NEWVEN
ESTAB
OLDESTAB
How can a sort in this order
be accomplished?
The order we want is NOT
A-Z or Z-A.
Store status
The 2nd sort (Store Status) Solution
Establish a custom sort order:
NEWVEN
ESTAB
OLDESTAB
Define an Excel custom list and then
specify a sort by this custom list.
Click the File tab and
open the Excel options.
Store status
Choose to “Edit Custom Lists…”
General
Advanced
Edit Custom Lists
Enter the new list items
Add the 2nd sort to the Sort dialog
Select the custom
list for this sort.
The third sort: By Day
The Day column has conditional
formatting applied.
Conditional formatting is set
in the “Styles” group on the
HOME tab.
Day’s conditional formatting
This is rule-based conditional formatting.
Use the “Edit Rule…” button to make changes.
Use “New Rule…” to add and “Delete Rule…” to delete.
Condit. format color assignments
The Day falls in the:
Last third of the month
Middle third
First third
Use this color sort order:
First color - Purple
Second color - Blue
Third color - Green
Add the 3rd sort to the dialog
It takes two levels to specify the third sort.
BLUE is by default between On Top and On Bottom.
Sort in the color order
First: Purple
Second: Blue
Third: Green
Add the 4th and final sort: Quantity
Quantity is conditionally formatted with an icon set.
2 levels are required for Quantity
Icon set sort order
First: Yellow
Second: Green
Third: Red
Finally: Execute the sort
Sort result
A partial view of the sorted data.
Advanced sort take aways
Make data fields as granular as you need
them to be.
(TEXT TO COLUMNS)
Create your own custom sort orders.
Sort by Values, Cell Color, Font Color, or Icon.
Introduction to Excel’s
Pivot Table
Workshop topic 2 of 2
What is a Pivot Table?
Pivot Table Components (some are optional)
At minimum: One row or column field and one value field.
All other fields are optional.
Create a 2010 Pivot Table: Steps
1. On the “Insert” tab in the
“Tables” group, click “PivotTable”.
2. Identify the
source data.
3. Choose a location.
continued
Create a Pivot Table, continued
4 Drag fields from the top
of the Field List to the
Field List layout area.
Tip: If the Field List isn’t visible, click in the Pivot Table area, choose the
“PivotTable Tools/Options” tab, find the “Show/Hide” group, and click “Field List”.
Our sample data
The worksheet in the demo file
PIVOT TABLE DEMO
We ask four questions about the
NorthWind data and answer
each question by building a
Pivot Table.
Question 1: Which item in the Condiments
category has the worst sales?
Answer 1: Which item in the Condiments
category has the worst sales?
1. Filter for the Condiments category only.
2. Sort Quantity values ascending.
Question 2: Find the total quantity of
Confections sold in 2008 and 2009?
Question 2
- Display the Confections
category only by filtering “Row
Labels” label.
- Group dates by Year.
Part 2: Filter for 2 years only
Answer 2
The total quantity of Confections sold in 08 and 09
Question 3: In 2009 Quarter 1, which Seafood item
sold the most units?
- Change the default COMPACT layout
to OUTLINE.
- Group the Order Date field by both
Years and Quarters.
- Show the Seafood category only.
- Limit Years to the last year (2009).
- Limit the Quarter (Order Date) to 1.
Answer 3
In 2009 Quarter 1, Konbu was the seafood item
that sold the highest quantity.
Points to notice so far
To change the location of items in a
Pivot Table (pivot), drag header
names in the Field List.
Focus IN or OUT using the drop-down
icons to the right of field label names.
If a date field contains many specific dates,
group them to make analysis easier.
Q&A 4: Find the max AND average quantities of
Produce products sold by Peacock in 2009
Values displayed in rows.
Initial Pivot Table take aways
Pivot Table creation.
Basic filtering .
Setting the Values field summary operation.
Sorting.
Managing Grand Totals for Rows & Columns & Subtotals.
Date grouping.
Stacking multiple summary calculations.
Values field formatting.
PIVOT TABLE DEMO
We add a custom calculation to
a Pivot Table.
The worksheet in the demo file
Why create a custom calculation?
Create a custom calculated field
Add a % Growth from
Previous” Field
How to
Format the new field
Format the % Growth
from Previous field to
display as percentages.
Custom calculation take aways
The Pivot Table has built-in calculation
options.
If none of the built-in options suit you, build
your own custom calculations.
PIVOT TABLE DEMO
View Pivot Table data
graphically (as a chart).
The worksheet in the demo file
Pivot Table/Chart take aways
Create a Pivot Chart by clicking
anywhere in a Pivot Table and inserting a
chart.
Changing the Pivot Table changes the
chart and vice-versa.
End of MEM Excel Demo Notes