Summary tables and charts for office reports

Skills you'll practise

• Prepare source data so a summary table can be built from it
• Place fields in the rows, columns, values and filter areas to answer a stated question
• Check a summary table's grand total against a control total from the source
• Recognize and fix Count-instead-of-Sum, missing new rows and stale results
• Choose a chart type that fits the comparison or trend being shown
• Identify misleading chart choices such as a truncated axis

Course outline

1. 1.Summary tables and charts for office reportsVideo · 2 min
2. 2.From a list to a summary tableLesson · 17 min
3. 3.Keeping summaries rightLesson · 15 min
4. 4.Charts that tell the truthLesson · 16 min
5. 5.Summary tables and charts for office reports: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 18 questions
6. 6.The board pack figure that doesn't add upScenario
7. 7.Final exam11 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out

Sources it draws on

The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.

• Microsoft Support: Create a PivotTable to analyze worksheet data (single header row, no blank rows; Filters, Columns, Rows and Values areas; numbers summarize as Sum, text as Count; refresh after the source changes)
• Microsoft Support: Create a chart from start to finish (column and bar charts compare values; line charts show trends over evenly spaced time; pie charts for one series of positive parts of a whole, up to seven categories)
• General office administration practice (records, forms, documents, facilities coordination)