Microsoft Office

Part V
Analyzing Data with Excel
A calculated field is basically a way to display new information in a pivot table. It essentially presents an
alternative to creating a new column field in your source data. In many cases, you may find it easier to
insert a new column in the source range with a formula that performs the desired calculation. A calculated
field is most useful when the data comes from a source that you can’t easily manipulate — such as an external
database.
In the sales example, for example, suppose that you want to calculate the average sales amount per unit.
You can compute this value by dividing the Sales field by the Units Sold field. The result shows a new field
(a calculated field) for the pivot table.
Use the following procedure to create a calculated field that consists of the Sales field divided by the Units
Sold field:
1. Select any cell within the pivot table.
2. Choose PivotTable Tools ➪ Options ➪ Tools ➪ Formulas ➪ Calculated Field. Excel displays
the Insert Calculated Field dialog box.
3. Enter a descriptive name in the Name box and specify the formula in the Formula box (see
Figure 35.15). The formula can use worksheet functions and other fields from the data source.
For this example, the calculated field name is Avg Unit Price, and the formula is
=Sales/’Units Sold’
4. Click Add to add this new field.
5. Click OK to close the Insert Calculated Field dialog box.
FIGURE 35.15
The Insert Calculated Field dialog box.
You can create the formula manually by typing it or by double-clicking items in the Fields list
NOTE
box. Double-clicking an item transfers it to the Formula field. Because the Units Sold field contains
a space, Excel adds single quotes around the field name.
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