As you can see, the order dates, order numbers, prices, etc. are all out of order. Let’s get started on running some sorting and filtering techniques.
Sorting Data
Go down to the Sort option – when hovering over Sort the sub-menu will appear
Select Expand the selection
The whole table has now adjusted for the sorted column. Note: when the data in one column is related to the data in the remaining columns of the table, you want to select Expand the selection. This will ensure the data in that row carries over with sorted column data.
Filtering Data
The filter feature applies a drop down menu to each column heading, allowing you to select specific choices to narrow a table. Using the above example, let’s say you wanted to filter your table by Company and Salesperson. Specifically, you want to find the number of sales Dylan Rogers made to Eastern Company.
To do this using the filter you would:
Go to the Data tab on Excel ribbon
Select the Filter tool
Select Eastern Company from the dropdown menu
Select Dylan Rogers from the Salesperson dropdown menu
Boom – you now have the exact number of sales Dylan Rogers made to Eastern Company.
The Sort & Filter Tool
In the following GIF, we can see how the Custom Sorting tool can be used to sort date ranges or price ranges.
But notice how this example is either/or. What if you wanted to sort by date and by price? This where the Custom Sort option really comes in handy. After selecting your first sorting conditions, you can add a level to get event more accurate data:
As you can see, Excel offers a variety of sorting and filtering tools to help you refine your data and keep it organized. We hope you found today’s tips useful. Now go out there and get your data sorted!
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