Turn Static Reports into Interactive Dashboards 

Pivot Charts are the perfect visual counterparts of PivotTables if one wants to really raise the Excel reporting standards. With just a few clicks, they transform a complicated mess of numbers into interactive and easy-to-understand visuals. If analyzing sales performance, tracking budgets, or monitoring KPIs, Pivot Charts provide real-time, dynamic Insights.

Through this, you will learn to create and use Pivot Charts in Excel to beautify your reports.


🎯 Why Use Pivot Charts in Excel?

  • Instantly visualise large datasets
  • Create dynamic dashboards with interactive visuals
  • Filter data with slicers and timeline controls
  • Give crystal-clear, data-backed visuals to your stakeholders

Ideally used for:

  • Monthly business reviews
  • Dashboards on team performance
  • Budget vs actual comparisons
  • Sales and marketing data breakdown 


🛠️ The Method: Create a Pivot Chart in Excel

✅ Step 1. Set Up Your Data Table

Check if your dataset has headers and has been formatted as an Excel Table (Ctrl + T).

✅ Step 2. Insert a PivotTable

Go to Insert -> PivotTable

Select where to position it, whether a new worksheet or an existing one.

✅ Step 3. Create Your PivotTable

Drag fields to Rows, Columns, Values, and Filters to arrange data to your liking.

✅ Step 4: Make the PivotChart

Click anywhere inside the PivotTable. Go to Insert -> PivotChart and choose a chart type.

✅ Step 5. Customize Your Chart

  • Use slicers and timeline controls for interactivity
  • Format colours, axes, and labels for better readability
  • Update fields in the PivotTable to reflect changes in the chart

📋 Tips for Better Pivot Chart Reporting

  • Clustered Column Charts should be used where comparisons between elements are required.
  • Line Charts provide a better visualization for trends over periods.
  • Use Pie and Donut Charts only for clear-cut segments. 
  • Always format your charts with a consistent choice of colours and fonts.
  • Add slicers to make filtering a visual and interactive process.

How you gain mastery over these Pivot Charts in Excel is a matter of turning past raw data into stories that fuel decisions. Unlike static visuals, Pivot Charts are ever-responsive and powerful, giving your reports that flexibility to remain relevant-even as your data changes. 

So the next time you prepare that report or dashboard, avoid using charts with manual updating. Apply Pivot Charts to breathe life into your insights!


🎓 Learn More with Other Levels

Take your Excel skills to the next level:


✍️ Other Articles, Tips & Tricks you would like:


Work Faster, Smarter, Productively and Efficiently with Other Levels Dashboard Template 

Latest Stories

View all

Use Microsoft Excel on Mobile Devices Efficiently

Take your spreadsheets on the go! With Excel Mobile, manage data, edit reports, collaborate in real time, and update dashboards, right from your phone or tablet. Perfect for remote work, travel productivity, and cloud-powered business tasks.

Read more

How to Add Comments and Notes in Microsoft Excel

Enhance your spreadsheet workflow using Excel's Comments and Notes, perfect for team collaboration, remote reviews, feedback loops, and self-documenting reports. Streamline communication and reduce errors with built-in annotation tools.

Read more

Create QR Codes in Microsoft Excel Using Web Add-ins

Learn how to generate QR codes directly in Excel using Web Add-ins for interactive dashboards, inventory logs, event invites, and mobile-friendly invoices. No design software needed, just dynamic, scannable power built into your spreadsheet.

Read more