Two categorical columns, cross-tabulated before you chart either one

Two columns look connected on the surface. A cross-tab is the only way to know if that's true or just a coincidence of group sizes.

Beginner to intermediateRead 5 minDoing: 20 to 30 minutes once the two columns already sit in one table you can query6 steps

▶ Start

What you'll have at the end

A two-way cross-tab with counts, row percentages, and column percentages sitting side by side, plus a one-line answer that uses whichever percentage direction actually matches the question, so an uneven group size can't fake a winner.

Before you start

You need

A table with two categorical columns you can group together, such as a channel name and a signup outcome, and a way to run a GROUP BY query or build a pivot table against it.

Not covered

Whether the pattern you find is bigger than ordinary week-to-week noise, which needs a real significance test on top of this table.

Leans on

6 steps

Where to go next

Choose a chart type that won't mislead your reader

for picking the chart that actually represents this percentage table once it's built.

Checked 26 Aug 2026

Part of the Data Analytics cookbook