Singapore CPF Rules
In Singapore, all salaried employees need to contribute 5-20% of their salary, depending on age to their Central Provident Fund or CPF. The employer contributes 7.5% to 17% of the salary to the CPF Fund, depending on the age of the worker.
The CPF contribution calculator for employers and employees can be done using Microsoft Excel.
CPF contribution calculator Excel File is available for download below.
Employee’s age
(years)
CPF Contribution Rates changes from 1 Jan 2022
(monthly wages > $750) Based on CPF Board
Total
(% of wage)
By employer
(% of wage)
By employee
(% of wage)
55 & below
37
17
20
Above 55 to 60
28
14
14
Above 60 to 65
18.5
10
8.5
Above 65 to 70
14
8
6
Above 70
12.5
7.5
5
Excel for HR Professionals
So payroll executives from Finance or HR professionals need to calculate the correct amount for the contribution to CPF, and provide the net salary to the employees who are Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR). The employer also needs to know their total payroll expenses so as to know their Payroll Liability each month.
Calculating CPF Rates for Employees & Employers in Singapore
I have created a simple Excel spreadsheet to calculate the CPF Rates and Amounts in Singapore in this matter. If you wish to use this you can fill in your own Singapore Citizen & PR employee’s details, their age & basic pay, and the following is automatically calculated:
Learn Advanced Excel 2019 @Intellisoft
Employee’s contribution,
The employer contribution,
Total CPF contributions,
Total payable to CPF,
Net salary to the employee
Gross Salary expense of the employer
The spreadsheet uses simple formulas that are already pre-programmed. So you can just begin to use this spreadsheet for your company. It has been tested for CPF Contribution Rates in 2022 and beyond, and everything will work smoothly.
Increase in CPF contribution rates from 1 January 2022
The CPF contribution rates for employees aged above 55 to 70 have been increased.
The increase in the CPF contribution rates will be fully allocated to the employees’ Special Accounts to provide a bigger boost to their retirement income.
For those earning monthly wages of more than $500 to $750, the employee contribution rates will continue to be phased in.
There are no changes to the graduated contribution rates for first and second year Singapore Permanent Residents (SPRs).
If you need any enhancements in calculating employee CPF & contributions payable for Payroll expenses for companies in Singapore or have any comments, do let us know. You can leave a comment below this post.
And of course, if you wish to learn how to create such excel spreadsheets, and use simple Microsoft Excel formulas and functions, you can also attend our Microsoft Excel Training classes in Singapore.
Hope you like this CPF Calculator Singapore Excel Template for calculating the CPF in Singapore. If you like it, I would appreciate it if you Like Us on Facebook, and leave a comment below!
Cheers, Vinai Prakash, MBA, PMP, ITIL, GAP, Six Sigma
Master Trainer, Intellisoft Systems
Vinai teaches Advanced Excel Techniques, Dashboard Techniques using Excel, Data Interpretation and Analysis Training courses at Intellisoft. He has trained over 25,000 students in over 28 countries and regularly conducts Excel Workshops in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, India, Dubai, Egypt, Zimbabwe, South Africa etc.
Contact Intellisoft to book a Certified Microsoft Excel Trainer for your Training needs.
In Microsoft Excel, some of the new features introduced in the past 15 years are amazing for every day use. Spark lines and Slicers are some of these amazing gems of Excel.
These improvements to PivotTables and other existing features, can help us to discover patterns or trends in the data. To get started with the features of Excel, first we will look at the details of the Sparkline and slicers features of Excel.
What are Spark lines in Excel, and How to Use Them
Sparkline in Excel
Sparklines are tiny charts that is used to fit in a cell to visually summarize trends beside the data.
Sparklines are an extremely useful and user friendly feature in Microsoft Excel that allow you to create small, visual representations of data trends within individual cells.
These tiny charts provide a compact way to display trends, variations, and patterns in your data without taking up a lot of space. Sparklines are particularly useful when you want to quickly analyze data at a glance or within a confined area, such as a cell or a small column.
There are three main types of sparklines in Excel:
Line Sparklines: Line sparklines show trends over a period of time. They are typically used to display data points in a line chart format, helping you visualize trends, fluctuations, and patterns over time.
Column Sparklines: Column sparklines are used to compare values among different data points. They can help you identify variations and relative sizes of data within a specific context.
Win/Loss Sparklines: Win/loss sparklines are used to represent binary data, often indicating “win” or “loss” scenarios. These are typically shown using icons or symbols to denote positive or negative outcomes.
Since sparklines show trends occupies less space, they are exclusively useful for dashboards and other places where we need to show a glimpse of the business in an simple practical visual format.
In the image to the left, the sparklines that appear in the Trend column lets us have a quick look of the performance of each department in the month of May.
Key features and benefits of Spark Lines in Excel include:
Compact Representation: Sparklines are designed to fit within individual cells, making them an efficient way to provide data insights in a constrained space.
Visual Analysis: By using simple visual cues, sparklines allow you to quickly identify trends and patterns, even without delving into detailed data analysis.
Easy to Create: Creating sparklines in Excel is straightforward. You can insert sparklines through the “Sparkline Tools” tab on the Excel ribbon after selecting the data range you want to visualize.
Dynamic Updates: Sparklines are dynamic, meaning they update automatically when you change the data or adjust the range they’re based on.
Conditional Formatting: You can apply conditional formatting to sparklines, enhancing their visual impact. For example, you can color-code sparklines based on specific conditions, making trends more apparent.
Compatibility: Sparklines are available in most modern versions of Excel, including Excel 2010 and later.
To Create Spark lines in Excel:
Select the cell where you want the sparkline to appear.
Go to the “Insert” tab on the Excel ribbon.
In the “Sparklines” group, choose the type of sparkline you want (Line, Column, or Win/Loss).
Select the data range you want to visualize.
Click “OK,” and the sparkline will be generated within the selected cell.
Remember that while sparklines provide a quick and visual overview of data trends, they might not replace the depth of analysis that larger charts or graphs can offer. Use sparklines in scenarios where space is limited and you need to provide a concise snapshot of data trends.
When and where is the best use of Excel sparklines
Excel sparklines are best used in situations where you need to provide a quick and concise visual representation of data trends within a limited space.
They are particularly effective when you want to highlight trends, variations, and patterns in your data without the need for extensive data analysis. Here are some scenarios where Excel sparklines can be most beneficial:
Dashboards and Reports: Sparklines are ideal for creating dashboards and reports that require a compact presentation of key performance indicators (KPIs) and trends. You can include multiple sparklines in a small area to provide an overview of various metrics.
Tables and Data Lists: When working with data tables or lists, you can add sparklines next to numeric data to provide context and visual insight into how values are changing over time or between categories.
Financial Data: Use sparklines to visualize changes in financial data, such as stock prices, revenue, expenses, or budget allocations. Line sparklines can help show trends over time, while column sparklines can highlight variations between categories.
Project Management: Incorporate sparklines in project management to illustrate task completion, project progress, or resource allocation. For instance, you can display task completion rates using win/loss sparklines.
Sales and Marketing: Use sparklines to represent sales figures, conversion rates, or website traffic data. These visualizations can help sales and marketing teams quickly assess performance.
Comparative Analysis: When comparing data sets or categories, column sparklines can show relative values and trends, making it easy to identify patterns and outliers.
Scorecards: In performance scorecards or performance reviews, sparklines can visually summarize an individual’s progress or achievement over time.
Educational Purposes: Sparklines can be used in educational materials to help students understand data trends and patterns, making learning about data analysis more engaging.
Emails and Presentations: Incorporate sparklines in emails or presentations to provide a quick visual representation of data trends without overwhelming the audience with extensive charts.
Data Visualization in Cells: In spreadsheets where you need to keep the data and visualizations together, sparklines offer a convenient way to incorporate visual insights directly into the data cells.
While sparklines are excellent for providing quick insights, they might not replace the need for more detailed charts and graphs in situations where deeper analysis is required.
Additionally, when using sparklines, it’s essential to ensure that the data you’re visualizing is appropriate for the type of sparkline you’re using (line, column, or win/loss) to ensure accurate representation.
What are Slicers in Microsoft Excel
Excel Slicers Sample
Slicers are visual controls. They let us quickly refine data in a PivotTable in an interactive, automatic manner. If we insert a slicer, we can use buttons to quickly segment and refine the data to display appropriate results.
Not only that, when we apply more than one filter to the PivotTable, we no longer have to open a list to see which filters are enforced to the data. Rather, it is displayed on the screen in the slicer.
We can make slicers relate to the workbook formatting and easily reuse them in other PivotTables & PivotCharts.
Slicers provide an intuitive and user-friendly way to filter and analyze data without the need to access complex filter menus or dialogs.
Slicers create buttons or visual elements that you can click or select to filter data, making data analysis more dynamic and accessible.
When you insert a slicer into an Excel workbook, it creates a dashboard-like interface where users can easily filter data by clicking on specific elements. Slicers are especially useful for large datasets and complex reports where traditional filtering methods might be cumbersome.
When to Use Slicers in Excel:
Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts: Slicers are primarily designed to work with pivot tables and pivot charts. They enhance the usability of these tools by providing a simple way to filter and slice data dynamically.
Large Datasets: When dealing with large datasets, using traditional filter dropdowns can be overwhelming. Slicers offer a more user-friendly experience by visually representing filtering options.
Interactive Dashboards: If you’re creating interactive dashboards or reports, slicers can be a great addition. Users can quickly filter data to focus on specific aspects of the report.
Data Exploration: When you want to explore data trends and patterns quickly, slicers allow you to filter data on the fly without the need to constantly modify filter settings.
Collaborative Work: Slicers are particularly useful in collaborative environments where multiple users need to analyze data. They provide a consistent and easy-to-understand filtering interface.
Sales and Marketing Analysis: Slicers are beneficial for sales and marketing reports where you want to analyze data by different criteria such as time periods, regions, products, or customer segments.
Comparative Analysis: Slicers can be used to compare data across different categories, allowing you to instantly switch between various data subsets for comparison.
Data Visualization: When creating presentations or reports for non-Excel users, slicers provide a more intuitive way to interact with and explore data.
How to Use Slicers in Excel:
Create a Pivot Table or Pivot Chart: Before adding slicers, you need to create a pivot table or pivot chart based on your data.
Insert Slicer: Go to the “PivotTable Analyze” or “Analyzing” tab on the Excel ribbon, then click on the “Insert Slicer” button. Choose the fields you want to use as slicers.
Arrange Slicers: Once inserted, arrange the slicers on your worksheet as needed. You can resize them, move them around, and align them to create an organized layout.
Filter Data: When you interact with a slicer by clicking on an element (e.g., selecting a specific category or time period), the associated pivot table or pivot chart will instantly update to show the filtered data.
Multiple Slicers: You can insert multiple slicers based on different fields to provide more comprehensive filtering options.
Remember that while slicers are a fantastic tool for interactivity and data analysis, they are best suited for scenarios involving pivot tables and pivot charts. For traditional data tables, you might want to stick with standard filtering options.
Vinai has trained over 15,000 students in over 18 countries, and regularly conducts Excel Workshops in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, India, Dubai, Egypt, Zimbabwe, South Africa etc.
Improved conditional formatting in Excel For Better Data Visualization
Conditional formatting makes it easy to emphasize important cells or ranges of cells, highlight unusual values, and visualize data by using data bars, color scales, and icon sets. In each newer version of Excel, it includes further more formatting flexibility.
Conditional formatting in Excel is a powerful feature that allows you to automatically apply formatting to cells based on specific conditions.
It’s a fantastic tool for visualizing data trends, highlighting important information, and making your spreadsheets more informative and user-friendly.
Here are some of the best ways to use conditional formatting, along with concrete examples:
Color Scale for Data Ranges:
Use a color scale to visually represent the distribution of data values within a range.
Example: Apply a green-to-red color scale to a list of temperature readings to quickly identify hot and cold temperatures.
Icon Sets for Comparisons:
Apply icon sets to cells to compare values and show trends using icons like arrows or traffic lights.
Example: Use upward and downward arrows to indicate whether sales figures have increased or decreased compared to the previous month.
Data Bars for Proportional Data:
Use data bars to create horizontal bars within cells to represent the proportional value of each cell compared to others.
Example: Apply data bars to visualize the relative sizes of monthly expenses in a budget spreadsheet.
Highlighting Duplicates and Unique Values:
Apply conditional formatting to highlight duplicate or unique values in a range of cells.
Example: Highlight duplicate names in a list of customers to identify potential data entry errors.
Color-Coded Prioritization:
Use conditional formatting to color-code cells based on priority levels, making it easy to identify important tasks or items.
Example: Color-code tasks in a to-do list as high, medium, or low priority.
Custom Formulas for Complex Conditions:
Create custom formulas for more complex conditions that aren’t covered by built-in formatting rules.
Example: Apply conditional formatting to highlight cells with values greater than the average of a range.
Highlighting Dates:
Apply conditional formatting to highlight dates that fall within a certain range, such as upcoming deadlines or overdue dates.
Example: Use red formatting to highlight dates that are past the current date in a project timeline.
Data Validation Feedback:
Use conditional formatting to provide feedback on data validation rules, making it clear why certain entries are invalid.
Example: Apply a red border to cells that contain text longer than a specified character limit.
Heat Maps for Data Analysis:
Create heat maps by applying conditional formatting to visualize patterns and trends in large datasets.
Example: Apply color scales to sales data to quickly identify regions with the highest and lowest sales figures.
Formula-Based Alerts:
Use conditional formatting to trigger alerts or notifications based on specific formula-driven conditions.
Example: Apply a bold font and red text to cells where inventory levels are below a certain threshold.
Key to effective conditional formatting is to choose formatting options that align with your goals and data presentation needs. By using conditional formatting strategically, you can make your data more visually engaging and facilitate better decision-making.
New icon sets: In Excel, we can access to more icon sets, including triangles, stars, and boxes. We can also mix and match icons from different sets and more easily hide icons.
For example, we might choose to display icons only for high profit values and remove them for middle and lower values.
More options for data bars: Excel now comes with new formatting options for data bars. You can apply solid fills or borders to the data bar, or set the bar direction from right-to-left instead of left-to-right.
Not only that, data bars for negative values appear on the opposite side of an axis from positive values.
He has trained over 15,000 students in over 18 countries, and regularly conducts Excel Workshops in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, India, Dubai, Egypt, Zimbabwe, South Africa etc.
If you’re searching for a more flexible data management system, a database might be just the salvation you’re looking for and Microsoft Access provides an excellent option. With Access you will experience new interface with different look and feel. It has got sleeker look and it has more colors to make it more modern style, which makes Access still relevant now and beyond.
You can not only save the document which you can access anywhere but at the same time you can collaborate it with other people.
Features of Microsoft Access
Access 2013 has changed the tabs of ribbons and made it capitalized which was not there before.
Also if you have not worked with SkyDrive before that’s something which is going to be new for you. Want to explore this?
So when you are trying to open any new or existing document you don’t only have a option of choosing it from Recent but also you can also select it from SkyDrive.
After entering your account details it enters into your SkyDrive and then you can browse your database the same way as you browse in windows explorer. Like downloading we can also upload our local database to the SkyDrive.
Access 2013 has moved towards the Cloud and can now produce Web Apps which can be accessed through a browser.
There’s a quantity of Wizard help available in constructing these, so you’re not working from the sketch up when constructing one. Navigation and different views are pre-constructed, as long as the Web App you’re after can be based on one of the database templates provided.
Here are the top features you should explore in Access .
Using Templates in Access
Apps in Access
A Focus on the Web: Office 365, SharePoint, and Access
What are the Benefits of Learning Microsoft Access
Learning Microsoft Access offers a variety of benefits for individuals and professionals who work with databases, data management, and data analysis. Here are some key advantages of learning Microsoft Access:
1. Efficient Data Management: Microsoft Access enables you to organize and manage large amounts of data in a structured manner. You can create tables, relationships, and queries that help you maintain data integrity and prevent redundancy.
2. User-Friendly Interface: Access features an intuitive interface with a graphical design view that makes it accessible to users without extensive programming experience. This allows you to design and manage databases with ease.
3. Customized Data Entry Forms: You can design custom data entry forms in Access, tailored to your specific needs. This streamlines data entry processes and ensures consistent and accurate data input.
4. Structured Query Language (SQL) Integration: Access allows you to use SQL for more advanced querying and data manipulation. This skill is transferable to other relational database management systems (RDBMS) as well.
5. Querying and Reporting: Access offers powerful querying capabilities, allowing you to extract specific data subsets, perform calculations, and create meaningful reports based on your data.
6. Data Analysis and Insights: Learning Access empowers you to analyze data by creating complex queries, running aggregate functions, and generating summary reports, helping you derive valuable insights.
7. Data Validation and Integrity: Access enables you to implement data validation rules and constraints to ensure that your data is accurate, consistent, and conforms to specified criteria.
8. Data Security: Access provides options for securing your databases by setting permissions and user roles, allowing you to control who can view, edit, or manipulate your data.
9. Integration with Other Microsoft Office Apps: Access seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft Office applications, such as Excel and Word, allowing you to import and export data and generate reports in familiar formats.
10. Career Opportunities: Proficiency in Access is a valuable skill sought after by employers across various industries. It can open doors to positions related to data analysis, data management, and database administration.
11. Small Business Solutions: Access is often used by small businesses to create customized databases for inventory management, customer tracking, project management, and more.
12. Learning Transferable Skills: Learning Access equips you with fundamental database design and management skills that can be applied to other relational databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, or Oracle.
Mastering Microsoft Access offers a range of benefits that can enhance your data management capabilities, improve efficiency, and provide you with valuable skills for various career paths.
Whether you’re working with data as part of your job or simply looking to gain new skills, mastering Microsoft Access can be a valuable investment of your time and effort.
Who Uses Microsoft Access These Days?
Microsoft Access is used by a wide range of individuals, professionals, and organizations for various purposes related to data management, reporting, and analysis. Here are some examples of who uses Microsoft Access:
1. Small Businesses and Startups: Small businesses and startups often use Microsoft Access to create custom databases for tasks such as inventory management, customer relationship management (CRM), order tracking, and project management.
2. Data Analysts and Researchers: Data analysts and researchers use Access to organize and analyze data for research projects, surveys, and data-driven decision-making. They can create queries, run calculations, and generate reports to extract insights from their data.
3. Administrative Professionals: Administrative staff use Access to manage information such as employee records, event schedules, contact lists, and resource allocation. Custom databases can help streamline administrative tasks.
4. Educators and Students: Access can be used in educational settings for teaching and learning database concepts. Students may learn how to create databases, design forms, and perform basic data analysis.
5. Nonprofit Organizations: Nonprofits use Access to track donations, manage volunteer information, and create reports for stakeholders. Custom databases help them efficiently manage their operations.
6. Project Managers: Project managers can use Access to create databases for tracking project progress, tasks, timelines, and resources. This aids in organizing and overseeing complex projects.
7. Marketing and Sales Professionals: Marketing and sales teams use Access to manage customer data, track sales leads, analyze marketing campaigns, and generate reports on sales performance.
8. Human Resources Departments: HR departments use Access to manage employee data, track performance reviews, monitor training programs, and generate reports for compliance and analysis.
9. Government Agencies: Government agencies utilize Access to manage various data, such as public records, permits, licenses, and citizen information. Custom databases help streamline operations.
10. Consultants and Freelancers: Independent consultants and freelancers might use Access to track client information, project details, expenses, and generate invoices.
11. Research Institutions: Research institutions and academic organizations use Access for managing data related to ongoing research projects, experiments, and academic studies.
12. Event Planners: Event planners use Access to manage event details, guest lists, RSVPs, and other logistical aspects of event planning.
13. Health and Medical Facilities: Medical practices and healthcare facilities can use Access to manage patient records, appointments, billing, and other administrative tasks.
14. Real Estate Agents: Real estate agents might use Access to track property listings, client preferences, transaction history, and generate property reports.
These are just a few examples of the diverse range of professionals and organizations that use Microsoft Access to manage, analyze, and report on their data.
Access provides a user-friendly interface for creating custom databases that cater to specific needs and tasks, making it a versatile tool for a variety of industries and roles.
Why Should You Join Intellisoft For Your Access Course Training?
Here are some compelling reasons why you should consider Intellisoft Systems’ Microsoft Access training courses as your top choice and why you should strongly consider joining these courses:
Expertise and Experience: Intellisoft Systems has a proven track record of delivering high-quality training programs. With years of experience in the industry, their instructors are experts in their field and have a deep understanding of Microsoft Access.
Comprehensive Curriculum: The Microsoft Access training courses at Intellisoft Systems are designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of Access. From database design fundamentals to advanced query and reporting techniques, you’ll cover all aspects needed to become proficient in Access.
Hands-on Learning: Intellisoft Systems places a strong emphasis on hands-on learning. Through practical exercises, real-world projects, and interactive workshops, you’ll gain practical experience that is invaluable for applying your knowledge in real-life scenarios.
Customized Approach: The training courses are tailored to meet the needs of learners at various skill levels. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to enhance your existing Access skills, Intellisoft Systems ensures that the training aligns with your learning goals.
Small Class Sizes: With small class sizes, you’ll receive personalized attention from instructors. This facilitates a conducive learning environment where you can ask questions, engage in discussions, and receive individualized guidance.
Project-Oriented Learning: Intellisoft Systems believes in project-oriented learning, where you’ll work on practical projects that simulate real-world scenarios. This approach helps you build a strong foundation and apply your skills effectively.
Practical Applications: Access is a powerful tool with numerous applications across various industries. By joining Intellisoft Systems’ courses, you’ll be equipped with skills that are highly relevant and sought after in the job market.
Networking Opportunities: Enrolling in these courses allows you to connect with fellow learners who share similar interests. Networking opportunities can lead to valuable connections, collaborations, and the exchange of insights.
Post-Training Support: Intellisoft Systems continues to support you even after the training is complete. You can reach out for clarifications, guidance, and assistance, ensuring that your learning journey is a continuous one.
Proven Success Stories: Many individuals have successfully completed Intellisoft Systems’ Access training courses and have seen tangible improvements in their skills and career prospects. You could be the next success story.
If you’re looking to master Microsoft Access and unlock its potential for your personal growth or professional advancement, Intellisoft Systems’ Access training courses are your ideal choice.
With their experienced instructors, comprehensive curriculum, hands-on learning, and commitment to your success, these courses provide the perfect platform to enhance your skills and confidently navigate the world of Access.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn from the best – join Intellisoft Systems’ Microsoft Access training courses and take your skills to the next level!
Excel Pivot Tables help us to discover patterns or trends in the data.
Here is a quick tutorial on Pivot Tables in Excel which highlights the new features added in Microsoft Office 365, Office 2019, and Microsoft Office 2016 or earlier versions of Excel.
PivotTables are now easier to use and more responsive. Key improvements include:
Lesser-Known Features of Microsoft Excel
Performance enhancements: In Excel, Multi-threading helps advanced sorting, data retrieval and filtering in Pivot Tables.
Write-back support: In Excel, we can update values in the OLAP PivotTable Values area and then transferred to the Analysis Services cube on the OLAP server. We can use the write-back feature in what-if mode and then roll back the changes when we no longer need them, or we can save the changes. We can use the write-back feature with any OLAP provider that supports the UPDATE CUBE statement.
Enhanced filtering: We can use slicers to quickly het the required data in a PivotTable and see which filters are applied without having to open additional menus. In addition, the filter interface includes a handy search box that can help us to find what we need among potentially thousands (or even millions) of items in the PivotTables.
Pivot Table labels: We can add labels in a Pivot Table and also replicate them in the Pivot Tables. This will help us to display item captions of nested fields in all rows and columns.
PivotChart enhancements: It has made things easy to interact with PivotChart reports. Specifically, it’s easier to get the required data directly in a PivotChart and to reorganize the layout of a PivotChart by adding and deleting fields. Similarly, we can hide all field buttons on the PivotChart report.
Show Values As feature: The ‘show values as’ feature includes a number of new, automatic calculations, such as % of Parent Row Total, % of Parent Column Total, % of Parent Total, % Running Total, Rank Smallest to Largest, and Rank Largest to Smallest.
How To Create a Pivot Table in Excel
Drag and drop fields from your data into the “Rows,” “Columns,” “Values,” and “Filters” areas in the PivotTable Field List.
Rows: This area represents the rows of your pivot table, often used for categorizing data.
Columns: This area represents the columns of your pivot table, creating a hierarchical structure.
Values: This area represents the values you want to summarize or calculate, such as sums or averages.
Filters: This area allows you to apply filters to your data before generating the pivot table.
Customize Values: You can change the way your values are summarized by clicking on the drop-down arrow next to a field in the “Values” area and selecting a summary function (e.g., Sum, Count, Average).
Apply Filters: If you added fields to the “Filters” area, you can use the filter drop-downs in your pivot table to narrow down the data displayed.
Format and Style: Format and style your pivot table to make it visually appealing and easier to understand. You can use Excel’s formatting tools to adjust fonts, colors, and cell borders.
Refresh Data: If your original data changes, you can refresh the pivot table to update it with the new data. Right-click on the pivot table and choose “Refresh.”
Explore and Analyze: Use your pivot table to explore and analyze your data. You can easily rearrange fields, add or remove them, and experiment with different layouts.
Creating a pivot table might seem a bit complex at first, but once you become familiar with the process, you’ll find it to be a powerful tool for data analysis and reporting in Excel.
He has trained over 15,000 students in over 18 countries, and regularly conducts Excel Workshops in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, India, Dubai, Egypt, Zimbabwe, South Africa etc.
Why Use Pivot Tables in Excel:
Pivot tables are a powerful tool in Excel that offer a range of benefits for data analysis, summarization, and reporting. Here are some examples of why you should use pivot tables and the key advantages they provide:
1. Data Summarization: Pivot tables allow you to quickly summarize and aggregate large datasets. They can help you calculate sums, averages, counts, percentages, and more, without requiring complex formulas.
Example: Summarizing sales data to calculate total revenue, average sales per region, or the number of units sold by product category.
2. Data Analysis: Pivot tables enable you to analyze data from multiple perspectives by arranging fields dynamically. This flexibility allows you to uncover patterns, trends, and insights within your data.
Example: Analyzing website traffic data to determine which pages are most visited, identify traffic sources, and compare user engagement across different time periods.
3. Quick Report Generation: Pivot tables provide a rapid way to generate comprehensive reports from your data. You can customize the layout, apply filters, and instantly update the report as your data changes.
Example: Creating monthly financial reports with detailed breakdowns of expenses, revenues, and profits across various departments or projects.
4. Interactive Dashboards: Pivot tables can be part of interactive dashboards. When combined with slicers and pivot charts, they allow users to dynamically explore data and instantly visualize trends.
Example: Building a sales dashboard where users can filter data by product, region, or time period using slicers and see the results in pivot charts and tables.
5. Easy Data Restructuring: Pivot tables make it easy to reorganize data on the fly. You can quickly change the order of rows and columns to view data from different angles.
Example: Rearranging survey data to view responses based on different demographic categories like age groups, gender, or education levels.
6. Data Cleansing and Filtering: Pivot tables can help you clean and filter your data. You can easily remove duplicates, filter out irrelevant records, and focus on specific subsets of your data.
Example: Identifying and removing duplicate entries from a customer database or filtering out low-performing products from a sales dataset.
Key Advantages of Pivot Tables:
Efficiency: Pivot tables allow you to perform complex data analysis tasks quickly, without requiring in-depth knowledge of formulas or programming.
Dynamic Exploration: You can easily switch, add, or remove fields to explore data from different angles, helping you uncover hidden insights.
Flexibility: Pivot tables accommodate changes in data structure or values, allowing you to update your reports and analysis effortlessly.
Compact Presentation: Pivot tables provide summarized results in a compact and easy-to-read format, making it simpler to communicate key findings to stakeholders.
Interactivity: By using slicers and pivot charts in conjunction with pivot tables, you can create interactive reports and dashboards that facilitate user-driven analysis.
No Data Alteration: Pivot tables do not alter your source data. They create a separate view of your data for analysis purposes, ensuring data integrity.
Pivot tables in Excel are essential for transforming raw data into actionable insights. They offer a range of benefits, including efficient data summarization, interactive analysis, and quick report generation.
Whether you’re working with sales figures, survey responses, financial data, or any other type of dataset, pivot tables can help you make sense of your information and make informed decisions.
Been analyzing the same or similar data for a long time?
I bet you spend a lot of time cleaning the data, and doing the same steps again and again… removing Blank, getting rid of duplicates, adding that Tax column, or fixing the same old formatting issues with the dates, numbers as text etc.
It does not have to be like that. Not anymore! You can take you cleaned data in Power BI, and use it in another dashboard or query. And you can analyze the same data in different ways too.
You see, for most types of analysis in the workplace, the base data is usually the same, probably coming from the same source. But the transformations will most likely be different, and the usage will be different too.
For example, Sales data from the past month could be used for many different analysis.
Some common types of analysis could be:
to analyze the sales of the month and identify which products sold or did not sell well OR
to forecast for future month based on past trends
to understand inventory movement, analyze fast-moving and slow-moving goods by segmentation
to recognize revenue
to look at accounts receivable
to analyze performance by salespersons, by geography, by division, by category, by department, and by customer segments
Now in both cases, the way we look at the data will be different, and the analysis will branch out differently too. And for each branch, we will have to load the same basic data, and do the same basic cleanup – remove duplicates, fill nulls, change data types, fix dates etc.
Rather than doing the same cleanup transformations again for each analysis, it is better to do the cleanup only once and save that query. Once the base query is ready, it can be used to extend for further transformation and analysis, depending on the need.
Power Query, which is available to you through Excel or Power BI can be used easily for this (Video Tutorial Below). The thing to look for is
How to Reference a Query and Create a New Query from it
Referencing a Query allows us to simply take the result of one query, and take it further in another query.
I created a detailed, step by step video for you to see how to reference a query in Power Query. You can use it in Excel or in PowerBI. It works exactly the same way in both of these software.
I do hope you like it. You can subscribe to our YouTube Channel to be notified of new videos automatically.
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This article and Video is written, edited & presented by: Vinai Prakash, Founder & Master Trainer, Intellisoft Systems
Vinai conducts the Microsoft Power BI training in Singapore. His Power BI MasterClass courses are extremely popular, fun and easy to learn for beginners and experienced professionals alike.
Join Vinai in his next Power BI training course at Intellisoft. You won’t believe the insider secrets, shortcuts, and nifty ways that Power BI can be used, that Vinai will share in the workshop.
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Conditional formatting makes it easy to emphasize important cells or ranges of cells, highlight unusual values, and visualize data by using data bars, color scales, and icon sets. In each newer version of Excel, it includes further more formatting flexibility.
