When you enter data into a worksheet, you usually enter it in the order it was received. If you’d like to rearrange the data in the list, you can do so by sorting.
- [Instructor] When you enter data into a worksheet, you usually enter it in the order it was received. If you'd like to rearrange the data, you can do so by sorting. I'll demonstrate several techniques to sort data in this movie. My sample file is the sort workbook, and you can find that in the chapter four folder of the exercise files collection. In this workbook I have a set of monthly revenue data for the years 2017, and if I scroll down you can see that it goes all the way through 2018.
The year and month are both represented as numbers and revenue as currency values. I'm using month as a number because sorting by month name can be tricky, and I cover how to sort those values elsewhere in this course. Let's say that I want to sort the revenue from highest value to lowest value. To do that I can click any cell in the revenue column, which is in column C, and then on the home tab of the ribbon go to the far right end, and there is the sort and filter button.
I'll click that, and here I see I can either sort smallest to largest, largest to smallest, or by creating a custom sort. I want to see the largest values on top, so I will click sort largest to smallest. When I do, you see that Excel changes the enter data list, not just the revenue column, by sorting it into descending order, highest values on top, lowest values on the bottom. If I want to undo that sort, then I can press Command + Z, and if I want to redo it, I can press Command + Y.
Now let's say that I have my worksheet in the position where I can't undo anything to get the sort level that I want, and what I want to do is to sort by year and by month to get back to my original data. To do that I need to create a multilevel sort. So I will go once again on the home tab, click sort and filter, and then click custom sort. Doing so displays the sort dialogue box, and you see here that I already have one sort applies, and that shows you that it's the revenue column, sorting by values, and from largest to smallest.
If I wanted to delete that sort, then I could select that sort and click the minus button, and it would be deleted. Note that it did not undo the sort in the workbook, it just got rid of the sorting level. If I want to add a sort level, I can click the plus sign or add level button here, and I have sort by, and then I need to select my column. I want to sort by year and then by month, and both in ascending order.
So I will sort by, and then for the column I'll say year, and values, smallest to largest. Good. Now I want to create a secondary sort model. So I'll click the add level again. All right, so I have sort by, then by. We'll make it by month, and once again I want to go smallest to largest. With all that in place I'll click okay, and my data is sorted into what happens to be its original order.
Sorting is an incredibly powerful technique. You can see your data in all kinds of orders and learn new information when you do.
Author
Released
9/24/2018- Creating workbooks
- Manipulating cell data
- Sorting, filtering, and managing worksheets
- Using core functions and formulas
- Formatting worksheet elements
- Creating and managing conditional formats
- Working with charts
- Adding images and shapes
- Working with PivotTables
- Exporting workbooks
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
Related Courses
-
Excel: PivotTables for Beginners
with Dave Ludwig23m 52s Beginner -
Monday Productivity Pointers
with Jess Stratton24h 52m Appropriate for all -
macOS Mojave Essential Training
with Nick Brazzi4h 45m Beginner
-
Introduction
-
What you should know1m 11s
-
1. Getting Started with Excel
-
Introduce the ribbon3m 20s
-
Set program preferences4m 12s
-
Get help in Excel3m 16s
-
2. Managing Workbooks
-
Set workbook properties3m 52s
-
Create and modify templates3m 33s
-
3. Working with Worksheets, Cells, and Cell Data
-
Copy and paste cell data4m 17s
-
Create named ranges4m 41s
-
Create an Excel table4m 56s
-
4. Sorting, Filtering, and Managing Worksheets
-
Sort worksheet data3m 23s
-
Create a custom sort order5m 29s
-
Filter worksheet data4m 13s
-
Manage worksheets3m 54s
-
-
5. Summarizing Data Using Formulas and Functions
-
Add a formula to a cell4m 56s
-
Create an AutoSum formula3m 34s
-
6. Formatting Worksheet Elements
-
Manage text alignment5m 29s
-
Copy cell formats2m 30s
-
Manage cell styles4m 31s
-
Manage Office themes3m 14s
-
Manage conditional formats3m 41s
-
7. Working with Charts
-
Create bar and column charts3m 20s
-
Create line charts2m 56s
-
Format chart elements3m 58s
-
Create sparkline charts5m 11s
-
-
8. Working with External Data and Objects
-
Use hyperlinks5m 14s
-
Create and format shapes4m 26s
-
Add and adjust images4m 59s
-
Align and layer objects4m 49s
-
9. Exploring PivotTables
-
Create a PivotTable3m 21s
-
Pivot a PivotTable2m 51s
-
Filter a PivotTable4m 2s
-
-
10. Reviewing and Sharing Spreadsheets
-
Check spelling2m 36s
-
Manage workbook comments4m 19s
-
Set and remove print areas3m 36s
-
-
Conclusion
-
Further information1m 2s
-
- Mark as unwatched
- Mark all as unwatched
Are you sure you want to mark all the videos in this course as unwatched?
This will not affect your course history, your reports, or your certificates of completion for this course.
CancelTake notes with your new membership!
Type in the entry box, then click Enter to save your note.
1:30Press on any video thumbnail to jump immediately to the timecode shown.
Notes are saved with you account but can also be exported as plain text, MS Word, PDF, Google Doc, or Evernote.
Share this video
Embed this video
Video: Sort worksheet data