One of the most useful features of Excel 2010 and Pivot Tables is the new Slicer component. The Slicer allows end users to more easily visualize what dimensions and attributes are available to “slice and dice” the data and what has been selected as filter criteria. In past versions of Excel, the Report Filter was available to achieve the same end result but did not provide a useful way of displaying what filters were selected.
The below example using the Report Filter option shows that “multiple items” have been selected for the Calendar Quarter and Provider Specialty but does not show specifically which items are used for filtering the report:
The same Pivot Table using the Slicer component allows the user to know exactly what items have been selected and it is easier to make changes to the filters and perform analysis:
Adding a Slicer to a Pivot Table couldn’t be easier. Click anywhere in the Pivot Table and chose the Options tab. Then select Insert Slicer and choose the dimension/attribute to add to your report. After the Slicer is added to your report, further options for sorting and display can be found by right-clicking the slicer and choosing Slicer Settings.
There are many other great features with Excel 2010 and Business Intelligence but this is by far the most useful when it comes to user experience and analyzing data.
Business Intelligence Consulting
The below example using the Report Filter option shows that “multiple items” have been selected for the Calendar Quarter and Provider Specialty but does not show specifically which items are used for filtering the report:
The same Pivot Table using the Slicer component allows the user to know exactly what items have been selected and it is easier to make changes to the filters and perform analysis:
Adding a Slicer to a Pivot Table couldn’t be easier. Click anywhere in the Pivot Table and chose the Options tab. Then select Insert Slicer and choose the dimension/attribute to add to your report. After the Slicer is added to your report, further options for sorting and display can be found by right-clicking the slicer and choosing Slicer Settings.
There are many other great features with Excel 2010 and Business Intelligence but this is by far the most useful when it comes to user experience and analyzing data.
Business Intelligence Consulting
