Dude, Where’s my Pivot Table Data?

Working with other peoples’ spreadsheets can be harrowing.

When working with new data, a good analyst will ask: “Where is this data coming from?” You want to go ad fontes, as they say in philosophy — to the source. This way you can define your data and troubleshoot any issues.

I try to put my reports into a PivotTable whenever possible. This ensures well-formatted, easy-to-analyze data.

But sometimes people who are unfamiliar with PivotTables ask: “where are you getting this data from?” You can pull data into a PivotTable from many sources: Access, the web, etc. But usually the source is just another spot in the workbook. If that’s the case, here’s how to identify the location.