Like MS Excel, Pivot tables never die

Summary

While everyone's talking about AI revolutionizing business, there's a quiet renaissance happening with one of the most influential business tools created: the pivot table.In 2025, we're witnessing something remarkable - modern data tools are bringing pivot tables back to the forefront. But why would cutting-edge platforms invest in a decades-old spreadsheet feature? The answer lies in what made pivot tables revolutionary in the first place: turning complex data into instant insights without writing a single line of code.This article is about how the simplest tools often solve the hardest problems. Pivot tables have shaped how businesses understand their data: From transforming 15-minute database queries into 2-second visual explorations. With modern computing power behind them, they're more relevant than ever. They democratize data analysis for everyone, from CEOs to analysts.We'll explore why pivot tables have endured for over three decades, how they may evolve in the AI era, and why they will continue to be the key to making business intelligence (BI) accessible to everyone.So, What Exactly is a Pivot Table?First, let's clarify what a pivot table is and why we would use it. Pivot tables emerged with the growth of spreadsheets and revolutionized the analytical capabilities within them early on.VIDEOPivot table with quickly exploring the data and changing dimensions | Video by Excel Campus - JonA pivot table is a separate sheet, usually in spreadsheet-style software, that aggregates and summarizes tables (within the spreadsheet, databases, or business intelligence programs) elegantly and simply. It's a WYSIWYG editor, like a REPL for tables. You can drill and slice; you get direct feedback, and it's fast and instant. Compare this to an SQL query that you must run before getting any results.VIDEOPivot table combined with charts and dashboards | Video by Excel Campus - JonA pivot table lets you drill down, add, and remove dimensions and metrics (count, sums) quickly, ...