A pivot table is better at grouping: you can easily see which group a specific row belongs to, and a group can have a subtotal. You can also display a pivot table like a cross table (one or several horizontal dimensions). But when you sort a pivot table, you have to sort it first according to the first dimension, then according to the next, etc. You cannot sort it any way you want.
A straight table is better at sorting than a pivot table: you can sort it according to any column. But it is not so good at grouping. Subtotals are not possible, for instance.
HIC
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