Excel: Sorting and Filtering

Data
Judy Barnes Dooley

MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

To Sort or To Filter?

Excel data as a database

Sorting = alphabetizing
Filtering = narrowing the window
based on criteria

MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

Agenda

Sorting

On a single column
On multiple columns
Prioritizing your sorts

Filtering

AutoFilter
AutoFilter with fluid chart
Removing filters
MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

Sorting

Select a single cell in the column you

want to sort by

If you select a whole column, only that column

will be sorted, disconnecting it from the other
data in the database

Sort on multiple columns

Sort the least important column first,

progressing to the most important
Sort the most important column last
MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

Prioritizing Sorts

For Example
Desired end result is to see data
broken down by division, by
department, and in order of hire date,
hourly rate, and gross pay

MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

Example

This example was sorted

First, by GROSS PAY

Then by HOURLY RATE
Then by HRS
Then by DATE of HIRE
Then by DEPT
Then finally, by DIVISION

MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

Filtering

Filtering with AutoFilter

Click any cell within the database

Select Data, Filter, AutoFilter

Filter arrows appear in each cell in the header row

Click on any filter arrow and choose how to
narrow the database
Click on other filter arrows to further narrow the
database

A blue arrow indicates that a filter is active

MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

Fluid Chart with AutoFilter

Create a quick chart

Select data for chart

Chart Wizard
Select Custom Types tab
Select Line-Column on 2 Axes

Place the chart below, but on the same

page as the data
MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

Fluid Chart with AutoFilter

The chart is
selected
Pink, Green, and
Blue outlines show
the sources of the
chart data
Blue Filter arrows
indicate where
filters have been
applied.

MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

Removing Filters

Simply click to toggle filters off:

Data, Filters, AutoFilter

MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

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Excel Tips
Double-click right-most edge
of a column head

Resize the column to fit the widest entry

Ctrl-Home

To cell A1 of the current worksheet

Ctrl ~ (toggle)

Reveals all the formulas on a worksheet

Ctrl-Enter

Enters your keystrokes and keeps the current cell active

Ctrl-Shift-*

Selects all contiguous cells

Ctrl-Arrow

Move to the last record in the direction of the arrow

Ctrl-A

Brings up the text formatting dialog box

F4 key (4-way toggle)

Absolute Values. Toggles in this order:

$C$10C$10$C10C10
MOUG March 26, 2003 By Judy Barnes Dooley

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