Project Managers often report financial numbers to the management. In a dynamic world, these numbers are usually based on a lot of factors that may or may not be under your control. So the top management demands that the numbers be reported as per different economic scenarios – Optimistic, Normal or Pessimistic.
It is important to report and present the numbers in a usable format to the top management. They should be able to toggle the scenarios comfortably and see the results. Offset function comes to your rescue to ensure a great looking model with the flexibility of reporting multiple scenarios.
What is the offset function?
A few months back, I had written about the offset function and how it can be used to create flexible models. I had discussed at that point of time, why offset function is one of the most versatile functions and at the same point of time quite dangerous as well.
In this tutorial, we would see another usage (I feel simpler than last time!) of the offset function
If I were to borrow the signature of the function from my last post, the offset function reads something like: Offset( range, rows, columns, height, width )
I will use a similar example, but change the usage of the function a little bit!
So in the illustrated example, it starts from the C3 cell, moves 1 rows and 3 columns and then gives the value (15 in this case)!
This time Offset is NOT returning an array. It is returning a single value!
[Related: OFFSET, VLOOKUP & MATCH explained in simple words]
So how can this be useful?
The offset function can move the reference of the cell by n rows and m columns. That means that if I structure the sheet with different economic possibilities in different rows, I can always move the scenarios using offset function.
How was this achieved?
Step 1: The layout of the sheet helps me achieve this objective very easily. The first part of the sheet to select the scenarios is achieved using form controls
Step 2: The Scenarios are listed in sequential order, one after the other and the form control (combo box in this case) is linked to the name of the scenarios.
Step 3: Depending on the scenario selected, the index number of the selection changes. This number is fed into the growth rate and cost selection using the offset function.
Step 4: The model is linked to the selected scenario to report the P&L figures
As I told you, offset function is quite versatile in nature and can help you achieve a lot of flexibility in your model
Bonus Step
From your PM career you would have known that preparing a nice looking report as important (if not more) as generating correct results! In our scenario selection model, we highlight the selected scenario (the pink colored row) to give clarity to the end user. This is achieved using
Step A: A simple formula in conditional formatting and
Step B: Then using the $ referencing intelligently.
What functions do you use in reporting?
I am sure that if you are generating flexible reports and dashboards for reporting, you would be using some interesting functions and tools in Excel. I use Offset, Index, Match, Indirect, Mod. Which ones do you use?
Templates to download
I have created a template for you, where the subheadings are given and you have to link the model! You can download the same from here. You can go through the case and fill in the yellow boxes. I also recommend that you try to create this structure on your own (so that you get a hang of what information is to be recorded).
Also you can download this filled template and check, if the information you recorded, matches mine or not!
Next Steps
Chandoo and I are running a course on Excel for Project Managers to share with you the various tools and techniques in Excel that can make you an awesome Project Manager. We comprehensively cover aspects related to Planning, Tracking and Reporting apart from Basics of Finance and Advanced Techniques like Monte Carlo Simulation in Project Management in the course. If you are interested in learning more about the course, you can click here.
For any queries regarding the using Excel for Project Management, feel free to put the comments in the blog or write an email to paramdeep@edupristine.com
23 Responses to “Displaying Text Values in Pivot Tables without VBA”
Its possible to display up to 4 text values.
Have a look at the screen shot of an example that I had posted way back at the EHA and figure out how its done !
http://tinypic.com/r/muzywk/6
With Excel 2010 you can use Conditional Formatting to apply custom number formats which can display text. (In older versions you can only modify text color and cell background color, but not number formats.) Using CF allows for an even larger number of different display values.
[...] Display text values in Pivot Tables without VBA [...]
Hey,
Thanks, this helps. But how do you do it for multiple values where there is a huge amount of non repeating text?
@Soumya
The only way to do more than 4 values is to make the Pivot Table manually with formulas, of course then it isn't a Pivot table
You can of course do it with VBA
You may want to have a look at this description of how to do it here: http://www.clearlyandsimply.com/clearly_and_simply/2011/06/emulate-excel-pivot-tables-with-texts-in-the-value-area-using-vba.html
@Soumya
The only way to do more than 4 values is to make the Pivot Table manually with formulas, of course then it isn’t a Pivot table
You can of course do it with VBA
You may want to have a look at this description of how to do it here: http://www.clearlyandsimply.com/clearly_and_simply/2011/06/emulate-excel-pivot-tables-with-texts-in-the-value-area-using-vba.html
[...] Pivot Tables take tables of data and allow the user to summarise and consolidate the data at the same time. This is a great and very fast method of analysis but is restricted to handling mathematical functions on the value field resulting in numerical summaries. – read more [...]
[…] Read more here: Displaying Text Values in Pivot Tables without VBA […]
There is a very good way actually for handling text inside values area.
First you create a special column on the very left side and call it ID, and put unique ID (numbers only), and then create a pivot table with:
Row Labels and Column labels as you like, and in the Values labels use the unique ID number.
Move the unique ID number (copy paste) somewhere to the right and use vlookup to load the data you need using the ID as reference.
It is a bit longer way but for me it works perfectly to combine values as you like in any moment.
hope helps.
Regards,
Jon
Thank you! I finally understand pivot tables thanks to your clear, concise explanations and examples.
Good Day. This is exactly what i have been looking for. However when i try it on my pivot table or even when i try to recreate this exercise using the sample worksheet, i get this error:
"Microsoft Excel cannot use the number format you typed. Try using one of the built-in number formats."
Same thing here, Excel quite did not like the format in my PowerPivot. Any clues as to what may be going on? Thanks.
I have the same thing happening on my end. I'm running a normal pivot table on a .xlsm file.
@Danzi
What format did you use?
can you post the file ?
pls. help in table there is name, pan. amount. i have to make pivot table for example
NAME PAN AMOUNT
MR.X AAAAC1254T 500.00
MR.Y AAABR1258C
MR.A CFVDE2458T
MR.Z AAVCR12548C
MR.X AAAAC1254T
MR.Z AADCD245T
pls. help in table there is name, pan. amount. i have to make pivot table for example
NAME PAN AMOUNT
MR.X AAAAC1254T 500.00
MR.Y AAABR1258C 1000
MR.A CFVDE2458T 2000
MR.Z AAVCR12548C 5451
MR.X AAAAC1254T 45564
MR.Z AADCD245T 4500
how to get pivot tabe so i get PAN no. against Name.
I found an easy way to get text values in pivot table.
I create an other worksheet in wich each cell has a formula that copy the pivot table. The trick is that the formula does a lookup for the numbers in the pivot table.
The formula looks like that:
=IF(ISNUMBER(table!A1);VLOOKUP(table!A1;Code!$A$1:$B$65;2);IF(ISBLANK(table!A1);" ";table!A1))
Code is a worksheet where there is a liste of text /numbers correspondance.
As a bonus The new sheet is easier to format
Additional trick:
In my case, i encoded differents codeid with a power(2, codeId-1) so that summing then is equivalent to concatenate them.
1-A
2-B
4-C
8-D
yields :
5 - AC
14 - BCD
Hi
I want to ask if pivot can display dates in pivot field. As in a column i have customers and in row different items i want to know there last purchase date. anyone help in this??
Hello Guys, Need your help
I am doing some analysis of the cycle time of the product i.e how much time a product takes from manufacturing to the central warehouse.
I have batch numbers for the product and against them i have to pull out the diff. dates
Like the base date is from where the manufacturing start. So i have the batch number,against it's manuf. date. Now i have to pull out the date when it was quality released.
I have the quality released data but the data have duplicates, like i will have two dates or may be three for the same batch. So my main objective is to pull out the date which is latest among them.
BATCH NO. DATE of Mfg. DATE of Quality release
A1 12/4/2014 (HERE I HAVE TO PULL value)
Next Sheet
BATCH NO. DATE of Quality Release
A1 14/5/2014
a2 23/5/2016
A1 12/5/2014
A1 13/6/2014
From this sheet i have to pull up the latest date format of date here is dd/mm/yyy
TIA
[…] needed to present text instead of counts in a pivot table value column. Here is an excellent resource for Excel manipulation, in addition to an overview of pivot […]
This is great thank you.
Wow!!! Excellent!! It helped me a lot.
I am developing training tracking sheet for 200 employees with training completed date. Each employee will be attending 25 courses. How to indicate actual dates in pivot table value field.