Pivot tables and standard reporting are both useful tools for organizing, analyzing and presenting data, but they serve different purposes. Pivot tables are dynamic and designed to summarize and arrange small to medium datasets in a spreadsheet. Reports are static documents that provide a detailed snapshot of relevant business details.
What are Pivot Tables?
Pivot tables are ideal for quickly organizing and summarizing data in a flexible and interactive way. Data can be rearranged by dragging and dropping fields in the rows and columns sections, then you can apply filters to zero in on key points, categories or specific ranges. Pivot tables are highly customizable and adaptable to the questions being asked in real-time.
The advantage of pivot tables is that they are dynamic and can be updated as needed.
What are Reports?
Standard reports are more comprehensive documents that provide a detailed overview of a specific topic over a specific period of time, i.e. “static.” They can include a variety of information involving important background details, data analysis, and actionable insights. Reporting is typically used to communicate the results of a campaign to a specific audience. For example, a sales report may go to the CFO whereas the marketing report may go to the VP of Marketing.
Standard reporting is essentially a “snapshot” and therefore a static representation of information at that point in time. This can be a positive or a negative depending on project scope and benchmarks.
Dynamic vs Static Reporting
One key differences between pivot tables and standard reporting is the level of details presented. Pivot tables are intended to summarize and display data quickly and easily, so they only include relevant information. Reports have a broader and more defined scope so they may contain additional details and analysis in order to support claims or provide necessary background information.
Another important difference is how the information is delivered. Pivot tables are presented in a tabular format and then they can be exported into charts and graphs. This makes it easy to see the relationships between attributes and leveraging segmentation. Reports use a mix of text, charts, and graphs to illustrate the information in a clearly defined way. Reports are overviews using defined restraints such as date ranges.
Pivot tables and reports are powerful tools that can be used together in order to better analyze data and provide support for businesses decision-making. Data is essential to support actions and operational adjustments, but delivering raw information into easily digestible visualizations is important when trying to solve complex business problems.
