5 Ways To Use Excel Pivot With Text Values

Excel pivot tables are a powerful tool for analyzing and summarizing large datasets. While they are commonly used with numerical data, they can also be used with text values to gain valuable insights and identify trends. In this article, we will explore five ways to use Excel pivot tables with text values.

Method 1: Analyzing Text Data with Pivot Tables

One of the most common ways to use Excel pivot tables with text values is to analyze and summarize text data. For example, suppose you have a dataset of customer feedback, and you want to identify the most common complaints or suggestions. You can use a pivot table to count the number of occurrences of each text value and display the results in a table or chart.

To create a pivot table with text values, follow these steps:

Select the cell range that contains the text data.
Go to the "Insert" tab in the ribbon and click on "PivotTable."
Choose a cell to place the pivot table and click "OK."
Drag the text field to the "Row Labels" area of the pivot table.
Right-click on the text field and select "Value Field Settings."
Choose "Count" as the value field and click "OK."

Example: Analyzing Customer Feedback

Suppose you have a dataset of customer feedback, and you want to identify the most common complaints or suggestions. You can use a pivot table to count the number of occurrences of each text value and display the results in a table or chart.

Customer Feedback
Poor customer service
Long wait times
Friendly staff
Poor customer service
Long wait times
Friendly staff
...

To create a pivot table, follow the steps above and drag the "Customer Feedback" field to the "Row Labels" area. The pivot table will display the count of each text value.

Row Labels	Count of Customer Feedback
Poor customer service	10
Long wait times	8
Friendly staff	12
...	...

Method 2: Grouping Text Data with Pivot Tables

Another way to use Excel pivot tables with text values is to group text data into categories. For example, suppose you have a dataset of customer demographics, and you want to group customers by age range. You can use a pivot table to group the text data and display the results in a table or chart.

To group text data with a pivot table, follow these steps:

Select the cell range that contains the text data.
Go to the "Insert" tab in the ribbon and click on "PivotTable."
Choose a cell to place the pivot table and click "OK."
Drag the text field to the "Row Labels" area of the pivot table.
Right-click on the text field and select "Group."
Choose the grouping option and click "OK."

Example: Grouping Customer Demographics

Suppose you have a dataset of customer demographics, and you want to group customers by age range. You can use a pivot table to group the text data and display the results in a table or chart.

Age	Count of Customers
18-24	10
25-34	20
35-44	15
45-54	12
55+	8

To group the text data, follow the steps above and drag the "Age" field to the "Row Labels" area. Right-click on the "Age" field and select "Group." Choose the "Group by range" option and set the range to 10 years.

Row Labels	Count of Customers
18-24	10
25-34	20
35-44	15
45-54	12
55+	8

Method 3: Filtering Text Data with Pivot Tables

You can also use Excel pivot tables to filter text data. For example, suppose you have a dataset of customer feedback, and you want to display only the feedback that contains a specific keyword. You can use a pivot table to filter the text data and display the results in a table or chart.

To filter text data with a pivot table, follow these steps:

Select the cell range that contains the text data.
Go to the "Insert" tab in the ribbon and click on "PivotTable."
Choose a cell to place the pivot table and click "OK."
Drag the text field to the "Row Labels" area of the pivot table.
Right-click on the text field and select "Filter."
Choose the filter option and click "OK."

Example: Filtering Customer Feedback

Suppose you have a dataset of customer feedback, and you want to display only the feedback that contains the keyword "service." You can use a pivot table to filter the text data and display the results in a table or chart.

Customer Feedback
Poor customer service
Long wait times
Friendly staff
Poor customer service
Long wait times
Friendly staff
...

To filter the text data, follow the steps above and drag the "Customer Feedback" field to the "Row Labels" area. Right-click on the "Customer Feedback" field and select "Filter." Choose the "Contains" filter option and enter the keyword "service."

Row Labels	Count of Customer Feedback
Poor customer service	10
Poor customer service	8
...	...

Method 4: Creating a Text-Based Pivot Chart

You can also use Excel pivot tables to create a text-based pivot chart. For example, suppose you have a dataset of customer feedback, and you want to create a chart that displays the top 5 most common complaints or suggestions. You can use a pivot table to create a text-based pivot chart.

To create a text-based pivot chart, follow these steps:

Select the cell range that contains the text data.
Go to the "Insert" tab in the ribbon and click on "PivotTable."
Choose a cell to place the pivot table and click "OK."
Drag the text field to the "Row Labels" area of the pivot table.
Right-click on the text field and select "Value Field Settings."
Choose "Count" as the value field and click "OK."
Go to the "PivotTable Tools" tab in the ribbon and click on "PivotChart."
Choose a chart type and click "OK."

Example: Creating a Text-Based Pivot Chart

Suppose you have a dataset of customer feedback, and you want to create a chart that displays the top 5 most common complaints or suggestions. You can use a pivot table to create a text-based pivot chart.

Customer Feedback
Poor customer service
Long wait times
Friendly staff
Poor customer service
Long wait times
Friendly staff
...

To create a text-based pivot chart, follow the steps above and drag the "Customer Feedback" field to the "Row Labels" area. Right-click on the "Customer Feedback" field and select "Value Field Settings." Choose "Count" as the value field and click "OK." Go to the "PivotTable Tools" tab in the ribbon and click on "PivotChart." Choose a chart type and click "OK."

Method 5: Using Text-Based Pivot Tables with Other Data

Finally, you can use Excel pivot tables with text values to analyze and summarize other data. For example, suppose you have a dataset of sales data, and you want to analyze the sales by region. You can use a pivot table to group the text data and display the results in a table or chart.

To use text-based pivot tables with other data, follow these steps:

Select the cell range that contains the text data.
Go to the "Insert" tab in the ribbon and click on "PivotTable."
Choose a cell to place the pivot table and click "OK."
Drag the text field to the "Row Labels" area of the pivot table.
Drag the other data field to the "Value" area of the pivot table.
Right-click on the text field and select "Value Field Settings."
Choose "Sum" or "Average" as the value field and click "OK."

Example: Analyzing Sales by Region

Suppose you have a dataset of sales data, and you want to analyze the sales by region. You can use a pivot table to group the text data and display the results in a table or chart.

Region	Sales
North	1000
South	800
East	1200
West	900
...	...

To analyze the sales by region, follow the steps above and drag the "Region" field to the "Row Labels" area. Drag the "Sales" field to the "Value" area. Right-click on the "Region" field and select "Value Field Settings." Choose "Sum" as the value field and click "OK."

Row Labels	Sum of Sales
North	10000
South	8000
East	12000
West	9000
...	...

Excel Pivot Tables with Text Values Image Gallery

We hope this article has provided you with a comprehensive guide to using Excel pivot tables with text values. Whether you're analyzing customer feedback, grouping text data, or creating text-based pivot charts, pivot tables are a powerful tool for gaining insights and making data-driven decisions. Do you have any questions or comments about using Excel pivot tables with text values? Share them with us in the comments below!