How are Values used in a pivot table?

• A. They perform calculations or counts of data.
• B. They store the raw data.
• C. They control the filter settings.
• D. They format the header labels.

Answer: (A)

In a pivot table, the Values area decides how the data is summarized numerically. It applies an aggregation to the chosen data field—commonly sum, average, count, min, or max—so you see a calculated result like total sales or average order size across the groups you’ve set with rows and columns. The raw data stays in the source data, not in the Values area. Filters and header formatting are handled elsewhere (Filters area controls what data is included, and formatting adjusts how headers look). For numeric fields, you’ll typically see a total, while non-numeric fields are often counted or left to be aggregated in a meaningful way.