> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.inverse.watch/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.inverse.watch/user-guide/visualizations/how-to-make-a-pivot-table.md).
# How to Make a Pivot Table
### Intro
The application’s pivot table visualization can aggregate records from a query result into a new tabular display. It’s similar to `PIVOT` or `GROUP BY` statements in SQL. But the visualization is configured with drag-and-drop fields instead of SQL code.
## Step 1: Write a query
It should return at least three columns. The source query for a pivot table is usually non-aggregated or "melted", and not necessarily sorted the way we want.
We will use the pivot table to do this without SQL.
## Step 2: Add a **Pivot Table** visualization
Click **Add Visualization** and choose **Pivot Table** as the visualization type. The visualization preview on the right will update to show a pivot table.
All the field aliases from your query result become available at the top of the pivot control surface. You can drag these to the *row* side or the *column* side. You can also nest them.
Here is a simple example using the data from the above query:
pivot table
{% hint style="warning" %}
Pivot table performance can degrade if your query result is too big. The exact size threshold will depend on the computer and browser from which you access the application. But in general, performance is best below 50,000 *fields*. That could mean 10,000 records with 5 fields each. Or 1,000 records with 50 fields each.
{% endhint %}
---
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