How to use pivot table layouts

Abstract

One of the more confusing aspects ofPivot Tablesis layout options.

When you create a pivot table, you have your choice of three layouts.

In this video, we’ll look at each layout.

By default, each new pivot table you create will use the Compact layout.

But you’ve got the option to easily switch to Outline layout, or to Tabular layout.

Let’s look at each layout more closely.

First, the Compact layout.

Its primary purpose is to save horizontal space.

Now let’s look at the Outline layout.

Because the outline layout doesn’t group fields in a single column, each field can be filtered separately.

The Tabular layout is similar to the Outline layout in that all row labels appear in their own column.

This fills in the data completely so you are ready to copy it to another location.

There’s one last thing to notice.

Pivot tables have an option to show subtotals at the top or bottom of a section.

However, because of its structure, the Tabular layout always shows subtotals at the bottom of a section.

The top option has no effect.

If you want one field per column, and subtotals at the top, use the Outline layout.