How to Use Excel Formulas to Get the Group Header Value in a Pivot Table

A Pivot Table is a powerful tool that allows you to summarize and analyze data from a large table or data source. You can use a Pivot Table to group data by categories, such as dates, names, products, etc. and display the results in a compact and interactive format.

One of the features of a Pivot Table is that you can get the group header value for any cell in the Pivot Table. The group header value is the name of the category that the cell belongs to. For example, if you have a Pivot Table that shows the sales amount by month and by product, you can get the group header value for the cell that shows the sales amount for January and Product A. The group header value for this cell is “January” for the month group and “Product A” for the product group.

There are different ways to get the group header value in an Excel Pivot Table, depending on your needs and preferences. In this article, we will show you two methods: using the GETPIVOTDATA function and using the VLOOKUP function.

Method 1: Using the GETPIVOTDATA function

The GETPIVOTDATA function is a built-in function in Excel that returns data from a Pivot Table based on specific criteria. You can use this function to get the group header value for any cell in the Pivot Table by specifying the cell reference and the field name.

The syntax of the GETPIVOTDATA function is:

=GETPIVOTDATA(data_field, pivot_table, [field1, item1, field2, item2], ...)

• data_field is the name of the value field that you want to get data from, such as “Sales Amount”.
• pivot_table is the reference to any cell in the Pivot Table.
• field1, item1, field2, item2, ... are optional arguments that specify the fields and items that you want to filter by. You can use these arguments to get the group header value for a specific cell.

For example, suppose you have a Pivot Table that shows the sales amount by month and by product, as shown below:

To get the group header value for the cell that shows the sales amount for January and Product A, you can use the following formula:

=GETPIVOTDATA("Sales Amount",B4,"Month",B4,"Product",B4)

This formula returns “January” as the group header value for the month field and “Product A” as the group header value for the product field.

You can also use cell references instead of hard-coded values for the data_field and the field names, such as:

=GETPIVOTDATA(B3,B4,B3,B4,C3,B4)

This formula returns the same result as the previous one, but it is more flexible and dynamic, as it will update automatically if you change the Pivot Table layout or the data source.

Method 2: Using the VLOOKUP function

The VLOOKUP function is another built-in function in Excel that allows you to look up a value in a table and return a corresponding value from another column. You can use this function to get the group header value for any cell in the Pivot Table by creating a helper table that contains the cell references and the group header values.

The syntax of the VLOOKUP function is:

=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

• lookup_value is the value that you want to look up, such as the cell reference of the Pivot Table.
• table_array is the reference to the helper table that contains the cell references and the group header values.
• col_index_num is the number of the column in the helper table that contains the value that you want to return, such as the group header value.
• range_lookup is an optional argument that specifies whether you want an exact match or an approximate match. You can use FALSE for an exact match or TRUE for an approximate match. If you omit this argument, it defaults to TRUE.

For example, suppose you have the same Pivot Table as before, and you create a helper table that contains the cell references and the group header values, as shown below:

To get the group header value for the cell that shows the sales amount for January and Product A, you can use the following formula:

=VLOOKUP(B4,$A$2:$C$10,2,FALSE)

This formula returns “January” as the group header value for the month field.

To get the group header value for the product field, you can use the following formula:

=VLOOKUP(B4,$A$2:$C$10,3,FALSE)

This formula returns “Product A” as the group header value for the product field.

You can also use cell references instead of hard-coded values for the lookup_value and the col_index_num, such as:

=VLOOKUP(B4,$A$2:$C$10,B3,FALSE)

This formula returns the same result as the previous one, but it is more flexible and dynamic, as it will update automatically if you change the Pivot Table layout or the data source.

Scenario and example

To illustrate how to use these methods in practice, let us consider a scenario where you have a data source that contains the sales amount by date and by product, as shown below:

You want to create a Pivot Table that shows the sales amount by week and by product, and get the group header value for any cell in the Pivot Table.

To create the Pivot Table, you can follow these steps:

1. Select the data source, including the headers.
2. Click the Insert tab on the ribbon, and click the PivotTable button.
3. In the Create PivotTable dialog box, choose where you want to place the Pivot Table, such as a new worksheet or an existing worksheet. Click OK.
4. In the PivotTable Fields pane, drag the Date field to the Rows area, the Product field to the Columns area, and the Sales Amount field to the Values area.
5. Right-click any cell in the Date field, and select Group from the menu.
6. In the Grouping dialog box, select Days from the By list, and enter 7 in the Number of days box. Click OK. This will group the dates by week, starting from the first date in the data source. 7. You can optionally rename the fields and the items in the Pivot Table by double-clicking them and typing a new name. For example, you can rename the Date field to Week, and the Sales Amount field to Total Sales.Your Pivot Table should look something like this:
   Table

   Week	Product A	Product B	Product C	Grand Total
   1/1/2024	600	1500	2400	4500
   1/8/2024	3300	4500	5100	12900
   1/15/2024	6000	7500	8700	22200
   1/22/2024	7700	7900	7800	23400
   1/29/2024	8700	3100	0	11800
   Grand Total	32300	24500	24000	80800

   To get the group header value for any cell in the Pivot Table, you can use either the GETPIVOTDATA function or the VLOOKUP function, as explained before.

   For example, to get the group header value for the cell that shows the total sales for the week of 1/15/2024 and Product B, you can use the following formula:

   =GETPIVOTDATA("Total Sales",H4,"Week",H4,"Product",H4)

   or

   =VLOOKUP(H4,$F$2:$J$10,H3,FALSE)

   Both formulas will return “1/15/2024” as the group header value for the week field and “Product B” as the group header value for the product field.

   You can copy and paste these formulas to other cells in the Pivot Table, and they will adjust accordingly to return the correct group header values.

   Other approaches

   Besides using the GETPIVOTDATA function or the VLOOKUP function, there are other possible approaches to get the group header value in an Excel Pivot Table. Here are some of them:

   • Using the CUBEVALUE function: The CUBEVALUE function is a function that returns an aggregated value from a data cube, such as a Pivot Table. You can use this function to get the group header value for any cell in the Pivot Table by specifying the cell reference and the field name as arguments. The syntax of the CUBEVALUE function is:

   =CUBEVALUE(connection, member_expression1, member_expression2, ...)

   • connection is the name of the connection to the data cube, such as “PivotTable1”.
   • member_expression1, member_expression2, ... are the expressions that define the members or tuples that you want to use in the calculation, such as “[Week].[1/15/2024]” or “[Product].[Product B]”.

   For example, to get the group header value for the cell that shows the total sales for the week of 1/15/2024 and Product B, you can use the following formula:

   =CUBEVALUE("PivotTable1",CUBEMEMBER("PivotTable1","[Week].["&H4&"]"),CUBEMEMBER("PivotTable1","[Product].["&H4&"]"))

   This formula will return “1/15/2024” as the group header value for the week field and “Product B” as the group header value for the product field.

   • Using the INDEX and MATCH functions: The INDEX and MATCH functions are functions that allow you to look up a value in a table and return a corresponding value from another row or column. You can use these functions to get the group header value for any cell in the Pivot Table by creating a helper table that contains the cell references and the group header values, and then using the INDEX function to return the value from the helper table, and the MATCH function to find the position of the cell reference in the helper table. The syntax of the INDEX function is:

   =INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])

   • array is the reference to the helper table that contains the cell references and the group header values.
   • row_num is the number of the row in the helper table that contains the value that you want to return, such as the group header value.
   • column_num is an optional argument that specifies the number of the column in the helper table that contains the value that you want to return, such as the group header value. If you omit this argument, it defaults to 1.

   The syntax of the MATCH function is:

   =MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type])

   • lookup_value is the value that you want to look up, such as the cell reference of the Pivot Table.
   • lookup_array is the reference to the column or row in the helper table that contains the cell references.
   • match_type is an optional argument that specifies whether you want an exact match or an approximate match. You can use 0 for an exact match or 1 for an approximate match. If you omit this argument, it defaults to 1.

   For example, suppose you have the same Pivot Table and the same helper table as before. To get the group header value for the cell that shows the total sales for the week of 1/15/2024 and Product B, you can use the following formula:

   =INDEX($G$2:$J$10,MATCH(H4,$F$2:$F$10,0),2)

   or

   =INDEX($G$2:$J$10,MATCH(H4,$F$2:$F$10,0),3)

   The first formula will return “1/15/2024” as the group header value for the week field, and the second formula will return “Product B” as the group header value for the product field.

   You can copy and paste these formulas to other cells in the Pivot Table, and they will adjust accordingly to return the correct group header values.