Download Exercise File Here: ExcelTable

Sorting and Filtering are two basic functions you will perform quite often in Excel. When dealing with large data sets, it can be difficult to see what you are looking for, especially if the records appear in random order. Using sort and filter, you can adjust the spreadsheet to show what you want to see.

Sort

Sorting is simple in Excel. Just click on the header cell for the column you want to sort (in my example I chose “Name”). From the Ribbon Bar select Data. Now click on the AZ and ZA arrows. The column you selected will sort.

Now, try it out on the other columns as well.

Finally, select the box directly above the word sort in the picture above. This will give you an advanced sort menu.

From this menu,  can select the column you wish to sort, the values you want to sort on, and the sort order.

Filter

To filter, select the Filter icon from the Data tab in the Ribbon Bar

Notice arrows now appear in the column header cells

Click on the arrow for Quarter. Now, uncheck the Select All box and check Quarter 2 > Okay

Now your sheet only has rows containing Quarter 2. Take note of the row numbers though. Notice the row numbers skip around. This is because the other rows are still there, they are just hidden by the filter.