VBA Excel file size containing multiple pivot tables is huge - excel

Question

I am automating the process of creating pivot tables in excel. The problem I have is that the pivot tables I create using my macro is way larger than the ones I create manually. Both of the pivot tables look identical but there is a great difference in file size.
As seen in the image above, the one created by my macro is about 6 times larger! I suspect that it is the way I cache for the data when creating my pivot tables. So, here is the general code I use to create my pivot tables.
Sub pivottable1()
Dim PSheet As Worksheet, DSheet As Worksheet
Dim PCache As PivotCache
Dim PTable As PivotTable
Dim PField As PivotField
Dim PRange As Range
Dim LastRow As Long
Dim LastCol As Long
Dim PvtTable As PivotTable
Dim SheetName As String
Dim PTName As String
SheetName = "MySheetName1"
PTName = "PivotTable1"
On Error Resume Next
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Worksheets(SheetName).Delete
Sheets.Add After:=ActiveSheet
ActiveSheet.Name = SheetName
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
Set PSheet = Worksheets(SheetName)
Set DSheet = Worksheets(1)
LastRow = DSheet.Cells(Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row
LastCol = DSheet.Cells(1, Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column
Set PRange = DSheet.Cells(1, 1).Resize(LastRow, LastCol)
Set PCache = ActiveWorkbook.PivotCaches.Create _
(SourceType:=xlDatabase, SourceData:=PRange). _
CreatePivotTable(TableDestination:=PSheet.Cells(4, 1), _
TABLENAME:=PTName)
Set PTable = PCache.CreatePivotTable _
(TableDestination:=PSheet.Cells(1, 1), TABLENAME:=PTName)
Sheets(SheetName).Select
Set PvtTable = ActiveSheet.PivotTables(PTName)
'Rows
With PvtTable.PivotFields("TypeCol")
.Orientation = xlRowField
.Position = 1
End With
With PvtTable.PivotFields("NameCol")
.Orientation = xlRowField
.Position = 2
End With
'Columns
With PvtTable.PivotFields("CategoryCol")
.Orientation = xlColumnField
.Position = 1
End With
'Values
PvtTable.AddDataField PvtTable.PivotFields("Values1"), "Value Balance", xlSum
PvtTable.AddDataField PvtTable.PivotFields("Values2"), "Value 2 Count", xlCount
With PvtTable
.PivotFields("TypeCol").ShowDetail = False
.TableRange1.Font.Size = 10
.ColumnRange.HorizontalAlignment = xlCenter
.ColumnRange.VerticalAlignment = xlTop
.ColumnRange.WrapText = True
.ColumnRange.Columns.AutoFit
.ColumnRange.EntireRow.AutoFit
.RowAxisLayout xlTabularRow
.ShowTableStyleRowStripes = True
.PivotFields("TypeCol").AutoSort xlDescending, "Value Balance" 'Sort descdending order
.PivotFields("NameCol").AutoSort xlDescending, "Value Balance"
End With
'Change Data field (Values) number format to have thousand seperator and 0 decimal places.
For Each PField In PvtTable.DataFields
PField.NumberFormat = "#,##0"
Next PField
End Sub
This is how I create 6 different pivot tables which all uses the same source of data which is located in the same workbook and is in the first worksheet of that workbook. So, for example my second pivot table macro code would look something like this.
Sub pivottable2()
Dim PSheet As Worksheet, DSheet As Worksheet
Dim PCache As PivotCache
Dim PTable As PivotTable
Dim PField As PivotField
Dim PRange As Range
Dim LastRow As Long
Dim LastCol As Long
Dim PvtTable As PivotTable
Dim SheetName As String
Dim PTName As String
SheetName = "MySheetName2"
PTName = "PivotTable2"
On Error Resume Next
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Worksheets(SheetName).Delete
Sheets.Add After:=ActiveSheet
ActiveSheet.Name = SheetName
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
Set PSheet = Worksheets(SheetName)
Set DSheet = Worksheets(1)
LastRow = DSheet.Cells(Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row
LastCol = DSheet.Cells(1, Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column
Set PRange = DSheet.Cells(1, 1).Resize(LastRow, LastCol)
Set PCache = ActiveWorkbook.PivotCaches.Create _
(SourceType:=xlDatabase, SourceData:=PRange). _
CreatePivotTable(TableDestination:=PSheet.Cells(4, 1), _
TABLENAME:=PTName)
Set PTable = PCache.CreatePivotTable _
(TableDestination:=PSheet.Cells(1, 1), TABLENAME:=PTName)
Sheets(SheetName).Select
Set PvtTable = ActiveSheet.PivotTables(PTName)
'Rows
With PvtTable.PivotFields("ManagerCol")
.Orientation = xlRowField
.Position = 1
End With
With PvtTable.PivotFields("IDCol")
.Orientation = xlRowField
.Position = 2
End With
'Columns
With PvtTable.PivotFields("CategoryCol")
.Orientation = xlColumnField
.Position = 1
End With
'Values
PvtTable.AddDataField PvtTable.PivotFields("Values1"), "Value Balance", xlSum
End Sub
All that I change would be the macro name, the worksheet name, the pivot table name and the input rows/columns/data values for the pivot table.
What I hope to accomplish is to reduce the file size of my macro created pivot tables, to something similar of the ones I create manually.
If there is anything extra that you guys would like to know, please comment. I will make an edit with the question and add the details respectively.

Answer 1

You can use the same pivotcache for multiple pivottables (assuming they're based on the same source data).
Untested:
'creates and returns a shared pivotcache object
Function GetPivotCache() As PivotCache
Static pc As PivotCache 'static variables retain their value between calls
Dim pRange As Range
If pc Is Nothing Then 'create if not yet created
Set prRange = Worksheets(1).Range("A1").CurrentRegion
Set pc = ActiveWorkbook.PivotCaches.Create _
(SourceType:=xlDatabase, SourceData:=pRange)
End If
Set GetPivotCache = pc
End Function
Sub pivottable1()
'...
'...
Set PSheet = Worksheets(SheetName)
Set PCache = GetPivotCache() '<<< will be created if needed
Set PTable = PCache.CreatePivotTable _
(TableDestination:=PSheet.Cells(1, 1), TableName:=PTName)
'...
'...
End Sub

Answer 2

I've seen this behavior before. By the very nature of creating Pivots, your WB will bloat up, just as you are seeing now. In the past I have used VBA to create the Pivots, exactly like you are doing, and then right at the end, run a small script to do copy all, and paste special values. That will eliminate most, and perhaps all, of the bloat. Also, instead of saving your WB as XLSX, try XLSB, which will be around 4x smaller than XLSX and open/close around 4x faster than XLSX. I'm wondering why you are even using XLSX, because you can't save Macros in that format. Or, maybe you have a template WB that does all the work, and you simply save new reports as XLSX. Anyway, consider using the XLSB format from now on.