Part V: Analyzing Data with Excel
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Grouping by time
Figure 35.10 shows a set of data in columns A:B. Each row is a reading from a measurement
instrument, taken at one-minute intervals throughout an entire day. The table has 1,440 rows,
each representing one minute. The pivot table summarizes the data by hour.On the CD
This workbook, named hourly readings.xlsx, is available on the companion CD-ROM. n
Here are the settings I used for this pivot table:l (^) The Values area has three instances of the Reading field and each instance displays a dif-
ferent summary method (Average, Minimum, and Maximum). To change the summary
method for a column, right-click any cell in the column and choose the Summarize Values
By and then appropriate option.
l (^) The Time field is in the Row Labels section, and I used the Grouping dialog box to group
by Hours.
FIGURE 35.10
This pivot table is grouped by Hours.
Creating a Frequency Distribution
Excel provides a number of ways to create a frequency distribution (see Chapter 13), but none of
these methods is easier than using a pivot table.