The other day, I got a text message (SMS) from one of our readers. It read,
So today, let us learn a very easy trick to select random sample from your data.
Lets take a look at the data
Since the text message has no actual data, I made up this.
Now, if you just want to select any 10 (or x number of) random items from this list, then your job would very simple.
- Shuffle (or randomly arrange) this list
- Just pick first 10 items
But our problem is to get 2 random samples per user.
Selecting random samples from data
Follow below steps.
- Add an extra column and fill it with =RAND() formula. This generates random fraction between 0 and 1.
- Create a pivot table from this data (tutorial: How to create a pivot table?)
- Add User ID & Case ID as Row labels and Random as value field.
- Click on the filter icon on Case ID column, choose Value filter > Top 10
- Filter for top 2 random values. (related: Filter top 10 values in pivot tables – how to?)
- Adjust report layout (Table layout, no sub-totals, no grand totals)
- Done!
To see new samples
Just select any cell in the pivot table, press ALT+F5. Your pivot table will be refreshed and you get new samples.
That is just easy and awesome!
Download Example Workbook
Click here to download the example file. Refresh the pivot table (ALT+F5) to see fresh samples.
Do you sample your data?
Drawing samples, running experiments, analyzing results are life breath for many businesses. As business data is growing, these analytical skills are becoming important.
How do you draw samples? What techniques you use when analyzing the data? Please share your stories, experiences & tips using comments.
A sample of our awesome collection of Excel tips
Here is a tiny sample of our awesome Excel tips. Don’t hold back, take them all, and more.
- Introduction to Pivot Tables
- How to shuffle a list of values in Excel
- How to shuffle a list using Formulas
- How to generate a random date, phone number
- Introduction to Excel’s random functions
- Case study: Generating housie (bingo) number cards using Excel
- Game: Simulating Deal or No Deal game in Excel
13 Responses to “Using pivot tables to find out non performing customers”
To avoid the helper column and the macro, I would transpose the data into the format shown above (Name, Year, Sales). Now I can show more than one year, I can summarize - I can do many more things with it. ASAP Utilities (http://www.asap-utilities.com) has a new experimental feature that can easily transpose the table into the correct format. Much easier in my opinion.
David
Of course with alternative data structure, we can easily setup a slicer based solution so that everything works like clockwork with even less work.
David, I was just about to post the same!
In Contextures site, I remember there's a post on how to do that. Clearly, the way data is layed out on the very beginning is critical to get the best results, and even you may thinkg the original layout is the best way, it is clearly not. And that kind of mistakes are the ones I love ! because it teaches and trains you to avoid them, and how to think on the data structure the next time.
Eventually, you get to that place when you "see" the structure on the moment the client tells you the request, and then, you realized you had an ephiphany, that glorious moment when data is no longer a mistery to you!!!
Rgds,
Chandoo,
If the goal is to see the list of customers who have not business from yearX, I would change the helper column formula to :
=IF(selYear="all",sum(C4:M4),sum(offset(C4:M4,,selyear-2002,1,columns(C4:M4)-selyear+2002)))This formula will sum the sales from Selected Year to 2012.
JMarc
If you are already using a helper column and the combox box runs a macro after it changes, why not just adjust the macro and filter the source data?
Regards
I gotta say, it seems like you are giving 10 answers to 10 questions when your client REALLY wants to know is: "What is the last year "this" customer row had a non-zero Sales QTY?... You're missing the forest for the trees...
Change the helper column to:
=IFERROR(INDEX(tblSales[[#Headers],[Customer name]:[Sales 2012]],0,MATCH(9.99999999999999E+307,tblSales[[#This Row],[Customer name]:[Sales 2012]],1)),"NO SALES")
And yes, since I'm matching off of them for value, I would change the headers to straight "2002" instead of "Sales 2002" but you sort the table on the helper column and then and there you can answer all of your questions.
Hi thanks for this. Just can't figure out how you get the combo box to control the pivot table. Can you please advise?
Cheers
@Kevin.. You are welcome. To insert a combo box, go to Developer ribbon > Insert > form controls > combo box.
For more on various form controls and how to use them, please read this: http://chandoo.org/wp/2011/03/30/form-controls/
Thanks Chandoo. But I know how to insert a combobox, I was more referring to how does in control the year in the pivot table? Or is this obvious? I note that if I select the Selected Year from the PivotTable Field List it says "the field has no itens" whereas this would normally allow you to change the year??
Thanks again
worked it out thanks...
when =data!Q2 changes it changes the value in column N:N and then when you do a refreshall the pivottable vlaues get updated
Still not sure why PivotTable Field List says “the field has no itens"?? I created my own pivot table and could not repeat that.
Hi, I put the sales data in range(F5:P19) and added a column D with the title 'Last sales in year'. After that, in column D for each customer, the simple formula
=2000+MATCH(1000000,E5:P5)
will provide the last year in which that particular customer had any sales, which can than easily be managed by autofilter.
Somewhat longer but perhaps a bit more solid (with the column titles in row 4):
=RIGHT(INDEX($F$4:$P$19,1,MATCH(1000000,F5:P5)),4)
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