How to Use Pivot Tables to Analyze Excel Data Feb 15, 2021, 10:24 am EDT | 2 min read Pivot Tables are both incredibly simple and increasingly complex as you learn to master them. They’re great at sorting data and making it easier to understand, and even a complete Excel novice can find value in using them. We’ll walk you through getting started with Pivot Tables in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. First, we’ll label the top row so that we can better organize our data once we apply the PivotTables in a later step. Before we continue, this is a good opportunity to get rid of any blank rows in your workbook. PivotTables work with blank cells, but they can’t quite understand how to proceed with a blank row. To delete, just highlight the row, right-click, choose “Delete,” then “Shift cells up” to combine the two sections.