Pivot Table is Not Picking up Data in Excel (5 Reasons)

In this tutorial, I explain why Pivot Table is not picking up data while doing several operations in MS Excel. Pivot Table is a very essential tool in excel. But sometimes, they show some frustrating errors while representing data. For example, data is not showing in the table while inserting or refreshing the Pivot Table. Luckily, solutions to these problems are simple and I will discuss several of them. To serve my purpose, I will work with a dataset containing date-wise sales of some mobile phones.

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5 Reasons and Solutions If Pivot Table is Not Picking up Data in Excel

Reason 1: Excel Pivot Table is Not Gathering Data If Table/Range is Not Valid

Often, while inserting a pivot table, if you enter the Table/Range incorrectly, the Pivot Table will not pick data. For example,

• We have entered the below range in the Field/Range.

• Consequently, we will get the below message in a different dialog box after pressing OK.

Solution:

• Click any cell of our dataset (B4:D14).

• Go to Insert > PivotTable > From Table/Range.

• Next, the PivotTable from table or range dialog box will show up. Now, ensure that you have entered the correct range in the Table/Range Click on OK.

• As a consequence, we will get the below PivotTable.

Read more: [Fix] The Pivot Table Name Is Not Valid

Reason 2: Data is Not Showing in Pivot Table as Source Data Contains Blank

Sometimes, the source data contains blank cells. In that case, the Pivot Table created from that dataset will not pick data and also contain blank cells. For instance, the below dataset contains two blank cells.

So, the Pivot Table created from the above dataset will contain blanks too.

Solution:

If you do not want to show blank cells in the Pivot Table:

• Right-click on any cells of the Pivot Table and select PivotTable Options.

• Next, from the Layout & Format tab, enter zero (0) in the For empty cells show field and click OK.

• As a result, you will see zeros (0s) in the blank cells like the below screenshot.

Read more: How to Edit a Pivot Table in Excel

Reason 3: Pivot Table is Not Picking up Data If New Row Added to Source Data

Suppose, we have a Pivot Table created previously based on a certain dataset. Later, if you add new rows of data to the source dataset and refresh the old Pivot Table, new data won’t be included in the new table. Such as we have a Pivot Table based on the dataset (B4:D14).

And we have created the Pivot Table below from the above dataset.

Later, we added two new rows to the dataset (B4:D14).

Now, if you refresh (Press Alt + F5) the older PivotTable, the table will not update according to the new data. The table will remain as it was.

Solution:

To solve the above problem, we have to change the data source of the Pivot Table.

• Click on the Pivot Table and go to PivotTable Analyze > Change DataSource > Change Data Source.

• Clicking on the Change Data Source option will take you to the source dataset.

• Now, update the dataset range in the Table/Range field and click OK.

• As a result, the Pivot Table is updated with data in new rows.

Read more: How to Insert or Delete Rows and Columns from Excel Table

Further Readings

• How to Refresh Pivot Table in Excel (4 Effective Ways)
• Make a Table in Excel (With Customization)
• How to Insert Table in Excel (2 Easy and Quick Methods)
• Auto Refresh Pivot Table in Excel (2 Methods)

Reason 4: Pivot Table is Not Gathering Data for Blank Column Header in Excel

If any of the columns of the source data does not contain a header, you will not get the Pivot Table.

For example, we have the below dataset, where the 3rd column of the dataset does not contain any header.

Now, if you try to create Pivot Table from the above dataset, the below message will show up in a separate dialog box.

Solution:

To solve the above problem follow the below steps.

• First, give a header ‘Quantity’ to the 3rd column of the dataset (B4:D14).

• Then select the dataset and insert the below Pivot Table following the path: Insert > PivotTable > From Table/Range.

Read more: How to Update Pivot Table Range

Reason 5: Pivot Table is Not Showing Data If Source Data has Empty Column

Likewise in Method 4, if the source dataset contains an empty column, you cannot get a  Pivot   Table from that source. For instance, in our dataset (B4:D14) the 3rd column is empty.

Now, if you want to create a Pivot Table from the above dataset, the below message will pop up.

Solution:

To solve the problem, we have to put data in the empty column or delete the column. Here we will delete the empty column following the below steps:

• Right-click on the empty column and select Delete.

• The Delete dialog box will show up. Select the Entire column and click OK.

• Consequently, the empty column is deleted from the dataset.

• Now, like before, select the dataset and get the expected Pivot Table following the path: Insert > PivotTable > From Table/Range.

Conclusion

In the above article, I have tried to discuss reasons and solutions elaborately when Pivot Table is not picking up data. Hopefully, these methods and explanations will be enough to solve your problems. Please let me know if you have any queries.

Further Readings

• Pivot Table Not Refreshing (5 Issues & Solutions)
• How to Insert A Pivot Table in Excel (A Step-by-Step Guideline)
• Create Table in Excel Using Shortcut (8 Methods)
• [Fixed!] Pivot Table Field Name Already Exists (2 Quick Methods)