How to Use the GETPIVOTDATA Function in Google Sheets

The GETPIVOTDATA function in Google Sheets is a powerful tool for those who use Pivot Tables to create summary reports and charts. If you’re familiar with Pivot Tables and want to extract aggregated information from them, this function is a must-know.

Understanding the Purpose of GETPIVOTDATA Function

As the name suggests, the purpose of the GETPIVOTDATA function is to retrieve data from a Pivot Table report. Unlike simply referencing cells in a normal data range, this function ensures that the extracted values are updated whenever the layout of the Pivot Table changes.

Syntax and Arguments of GETPIVOTDATA Function

To use the GETPIVOTDATA function effectively, it’s important to understand its syntax and arguments. Here’s a breakdown:

Syntax: GETPIVOTDATA(value_name, any_pivot_table_cell, [original_column, …], [pivot_item, …])

Arguments:

• value_name: The name of the value or field label of the aggregated column you want to retrieve data from. You can either hardcode it in the formula (enclosed in single quotation marks) or refer to a cell with the appropriate text.
• any_pivot_table_cell: Any cell reference in the desired Pivot Table. It’s recommended to use the very first cell in your Pivot Table.
• original_column: The name of the column or field label in the source data set. Like the value_name, you can either hardcode it or refer to a cell containing the text.
• pivot_item: The name of the row or column shown in the Pivot Table corresponding to the original_column you want to retrieve.

Getting Hands-on with Sample Data

Let’s dive into an example to understand how to use the GETPIVOTDATA function in Google Sheets. Imagine we have the marks of “Student 1” and “Student 2” in different subjects, and we want to extract specific information from the Pivot Table report.

1. Start by preparing a Pivot Table report using the available student marks data.
2. Select the range of cells containing the data.
3. Go to the Insert menu and select Pivot Table.
4. Choose the option to create the report in the source sheet and specify the cell where the report should be placed.
5. Drag and drop the relevant field labels into the “Row” and “Value” sections.

Examples of Using GETPIVOTDATA Function

Let’s look at a few examples to illustrate how you can use the GETPIVOTDATA function:

Example 1: Retrieving the Sum of Marks

=GETPIVOTDATA("SUM of Marks", Sheet2422!E1)
Result: 630

In this example, “SUM of Marks” represents the value_name, and ‘Pivot Table 1’!A1 is the any_pivot_table_cell.

Example 2: Retrieving Specific Aggregated Data

=GETPIVOTDATA("SUM of Marks", Sheet2422!E1,"Name","Student 1")
Result: 312

In this case, we are specifying both the original_column (“Name”) and pivot_item (“Student 1”) to extract the aggregated data of a specific student.

You can experiment with different combinations of original_column and pivot_item to retrieve the desired information.

Conclusion

The GETPIVOTDATA function in Google Sheets is a valuable tool for anyone working with Pivot Tables. By understanding its syntax and arguments, you can easily extract relevant data from your reports. So go ahead and give it a try!

For more tips and tricks on using Google Sheets effectively, visit Crawlan.com.

Additional Resources:

• How to Get a Single Value from a Pivot Table in Google Sheets.
• Extract Total and Grand Total Rows From a Pivot Table in Google Sheets.