Today let's learn how to create a simple pivot table calendar! The animated gif below shows you the pivot table and two slicers.

Instructions

I am going to store my calendar data on another sheet named data.

Step 1 - Create an excel defined table

1. Go to sheet data
2. Type header names shown in the picture below.
3. Create an excel defined table
   1. Select headers
   2. Go to tab "Insert"
   3. Click "Table" button
   4. Click box "My table has headers"
   5. Click OK

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Add dates

1. Select cell A2
2. Type the first date 2013-01-01 or 1/1/2013
   
3. Click and hold on the black dot
4. Drag down a few hundred rows depending on how many dates you want in your calendar

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Add formulas

1. Select cell B2
2. Type:
   =YEAR([@Date])
3. Select cell C2
4. Type:
   =INDEX({"01-January";"02-February";"03-March";"04-April";"05-May";"06-June";"07-July";"08-August";"09-September";"10-October";"11-November";"12-December"},MONTH([@Date]))
5. Select cell D2
6. Type:
   =INDEX({"Mo";"Tu";"We";"Th";"Fr";"Sa";"Su"},WEEKDAY([@Date],2))
7. Select cell E2
8. Type:
   =IF([@Date]<>""," ","")
9. Select cell F2
10. Type:
    =IF([@Event]<>" ",1,"")

Add your own events in column E. Delete the formula in column E for a specific date and enter your own event in column E.

Step 2 - Insert the pivot table

1. Go to a new sheet, I named it Calendar.
2. Go to tab "Insert"
3. Click "Pivot table" button
   
4. Select your table and a location
5. Click OK!

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Step 3 - Pivot table settings

1. Click a cell in the pivot table
2. You can now see the PivotTable Field list to the right.
3. Click and hold on date field, drag it down to Column Labels.
   
4. Repeat with month field.
5. Click and drag Event to Row Labels
6. Click and drag Value to Values

Change Value field setting

1. Click on black arrow near the Value in Values.
   
2. Select value field settings...
3. Go to "Summarize value field by" tab.
4. Select Sum
   
5. Click OK

Change cell formatting

1. Select all dates on the pivot table
2. Right click on selected cells
3. Click "Format cells..."
4. Go to tab number
5. Select category "Custom"
6. Type D
7. Click OK

Step 4 - Create slicers

1. Click a cell on the pivot table
2. Go to tab "Options" on the ribbon
3. Click "Insert slicers" button
4. Select Year and month
5. Click OK
6. Place slicers above the pivot table
7. Click 2013 and 01 - January

Step 5 - Change pivot table field settings (cell width)

Change cell width

1. Select all date columns
2. Change cell width to 21

Autofit column widths on update

1. Right click on a date
2. Select PivotTable options...
3. Go to tab Layout & Format
   
4. Uncheck "Autofit column widths on update"
5. Click OK

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Step 6 - Use text in a pivot table

Pivot tables can´t use text as values so you need to format values to show text. 1 = X and 0 = "" (nothing)

1. Select values
   
2. Right click on values
3. Click on "Format Cells..."
4. Select category Custom
   
5. Type: [>=1]"X";[=0]"";
6. Click OK

Read more here: Displaying Text Values in Pivot Tables without VBA

Step 7 - Change pivot table design

1. Select a cell on the pivot table
2. Go to tab "Design" on the ribbon
3. Select a pivot table style

Optional - Refresh pivot table automatically

How to create a dynamic pivot table and refresh automatically

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Download excel file

Pivot table calendar.xlsx