1
According to Microsoft, a PivotTable “is an interactive way to quickly summarize large amounts of data”
(Microsoft, 2020). A PivotTable can also allow you to take a quick look at a data set and help you make
decisions on how you want to proceed. I use them in both manners. For researchers, I often use
PivotTables to summarize data for use in reports and infographics, but I also use PivotTables to make
decisions on how to proceed with a data set, and that has been invaluable.
The following are examples to help you learn to make basic PivotTables in Microsoft Excel. We will be
working with Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data related to Texas fatal crashes in 2018
(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2020). To practice along with the presentation, you will
need:
• A computer with a recent version of Microsoft Excel
• A copy of the file 2018_FARS_CRASH_DATA
The Data
Open the excel file. The first sheet in the file contains the FARS data we will be using. It contains 3,305
records, and the data is displayed in 15 columns (A-O). FARS data comes in a coded format, but for this
tutorial the data has been decoded. The following are a list of the variable names in the data.
• RECORD
• STATE
• DAY
• MONTH
• YEAR
• DATE
• FATALS
• HOUR
• COUNTY NAME
• CITY NAME
• DAY OF WEEK
• FUNCTIONAL SYSTEM
• HARMFUL EVENT
• MANNER OF COLLISION
• LIGHT CONDITION
PivotTable Practice
The following instructions will help you build PivotTables in the other tabs in the file.
Crashes by County PivotTable
1. Click on the second tab named 2. CRASHES BY COUNTY. You should see a PivotTable with the
count and percentage of crash for each county in Texas and an area where to build a new