Rows and Columns define the grid, Values are what gets summarized, and Filters limit the whole table. Every pivot layout is a choice of which field goes in which area.

How

Drag a field name into the area you want in the PivotTable Fields pane; drag it out to remove it.

• Cross-tab

  Drag Region to Rows, Product to Columns, Sales to Values → A cross-tab of sales by region and product

  The classic two-way summary.

• Add a filter

  Drag Year to Filters → A dropdown above the pivot limits every number to one year

  Report-level filter.

• Remove a field

  Drag Region out of the pivot → The field is removed

  Drag out or uncheck it in the fields pane.

• Several fields in Rows nest: Region then Product gives products within regions.
• The order of fields in an area is the nesting order; drag to reorder.
• Slicers are a friendlier alternative to the Filters area.

• A text field dropped in Values becomes a Count, not a Sum.
• Too many row fields make a huge table; start with one.