Pivot App creating unwanted columns filled with 0's

Sam Sharples · 03/05/24

I am baffled by the behavior of one of our Pivot tables. When we run the pivot, we receive unexplained columns filled with 0's.

Here's the source report, a report of outstanding tasks and their End Months:

We used the Pivot app to view the End Month as columns and this is the result:

The problem is the first column: "2023 11-SUM-Hours Left". We have no data in the report for that month - it's not even in the report. Here's a screenshot of the groupings collapsed:

This "2023 11-SUM-Hours Left" is not the first erroneous column like this to be created. I deleted a handful of them from other months and then this one was created today.

Why would this column appear in the pivot if it's not in the report? And why is it filled with 0's?

It looks like the expected behavior of Pivot is to leave an empty cell blank rather than filling it with a 0.

Can someone tell me why this is happening and how to prevent it from happening in the future?

Thank you in advance!

joeabraham33 · 03/21/24

I'm also encountering a similar issue with one of our Pivot tables. It's perplexing to see unexplained columns filled with 0's, particularly the first column labeled "2023 11-SUM-Hours Left," especially when there's no corresponding data for that month in the report. It's odd that this column appears in the pivot despite not being in the report at all. I've experienced similar instances where I had to manually delete erroneous columns from other months, only to have new ones appear unexpectedly.

I agree that the expected behavior of the Pivot table should be to leave empty cells blank rather than filling them with 0's, especially when there's no data to populate those cells.

If anyone has insights into why this is happening and how to prevent it in the future, it would be greatly appreciated. This behavior is causing unnecessary confusion and inaccuracies in our reports.

mncraftmod · 04/25/24

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/426642#Comment_426642

I am also facing similar issue in pivot tables creation.

jordlee · 06/22/24

I'm encountering an issue with a Pivot table where an unexplained column labeled "2023 11-SUM-Hours Left" appears filled with 0's, despite no corresponding data in the report. This problem has occurred before, with erroneous columns from other months appearing unexpectedly. The Pivot table should leave empty cells blank when there's no data. Any insights on preventing this would be greatly appreciated, as it causes confusion and inaccuracies in our reports.😊

Unknown · 08/13/24

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Unknown · 09/17/24

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kimmo · 11/13/24

Thank you for sharing your experience! It sounds like an unexpected Pivot Table behavior might be causing a bit of frustration with those extra columns filled with 0s. This often happens when the data source includes empty or unmatched values that the Pivot Table automatically interprets as zeros. You might try adjusting the source data or using filters within the Pivot settings to streamline your columns. If you’re looking for a more detailed walk-through, it could be helpful to visit support resources for Pivot Table troubleshooting or consider reaching out for one-on-one assistance to resolve this quickly!

Pivot App creating unwanted columns filled with 0's

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