Application Software

Spreadsheets
Gyaneshwar Bohara
 Sorting Data in Excel 2016

• As you add more content to a worksheet, organizing this information

becomes especially important
• You can quickly reorganize a worksheet by sorting your data
• For example, you could organize a list of contact information by last
name
• Content can be sorted alphabetically, numerically, and in many other
ways
 Types of sorting
• When sorting data, it's important to
first decide if you want the sort to
apply to the entire worksheet or just
a cell range
• Sort sheet organizes all of the data in
your worksheet by one column.
Related information across each row is
kept together when the sort is applied.
In the example below, the Contact
Name column (column A) has been
sorted to display the names in
alphabetical order.
 Types of sorting

• Sort range sorts the data in a

range of cells, which can be
helpful when working with a
sheet that contains several tables.
Sorting a range will not affect
other content on the worksheet.
 To sort a sheet

• In our example, we'll sort a T-shirt

order form alphabetically by Last
Name (column C).
• Select a cell in the column you
want to sort by. In our example,
we'll select cell C2.
 To sort a sheet

• Select the Data tab on

the Ribbon, then click the A-Z
command to sort A to Z, or the Z-
A command to sort Z to A. In our
example, we'll sort A to Z.
• The worksheet will be sorted by
the selected column. In our
example, the worksheet is now
sorted by last name
 To sort a range

• In our example, we'll select

a separate table in our T-shirt
order form to sort the number of
shirts that were ordered on
different dates.
• Select the cell range you want to
sort. In our example, we'll select
cell range G2:H6.
• Select the Data tab on
the Ribbon, then click
the Sort command.
 To sort a range
• The Sort dialog box will appear.
Choose the column you want to
sort by. In our example, we want
to sort the data by the number of
T-shirt orders, so we'll
select Orders.
• Decide the sorting order (either
ascending or descending). In our
example, we'll use Largest to
Smallest.
• Once you're satisfied with your
selection, click OK.
 To sort a range
• The cell range will be sorted by
the selected column. In our
example, the Orders column will
be sorted from highest to lowest.
Notice that the other content in
the worksheet was not affected
by the sort.
 Custom sorting

• Sometimes you may find that the

default sorting options can't sort data in
the order you need. Fortunately, Excel
allows you to create a custom list to
define your own sorting order.
• To create a custom sort
• In our example below, we want to sort the
worksheet by T-Shirt Size (column D). A
regular sort would organize the sizes
alphabetically, which would be incorrect.
Instead, we'll create a custom list to sort
from smallest to largest
• Select a cell in the column you want to sort
by. In our example, we'll select cell D2.
 Custom sorting

• Select the Data tab, then click

the Sort command.
• The Sort dialog box will appear.
Select the column you want to
sort by, then choose Custom
List... from the Order field. In our
example, we will choose to sort
by T-Shirt Size.
 Customsorting
• The Custom Lists dialog box will
appear. Select NEW LIST from
the Custom Lists: box.
• Type the items in the desired
custom order in the List
entries: box. In our example, we
want to sort our data by T-shirt
size from smallest to largest, so
we'll type Small, Medium, Large,
and X-Large, pressing Enter on
the keyboard after each item.
 Custom sorting

• Click Add to save the new sort

order. The new list will be added
to the Custom lists: box. Make
sure the new list is selected, then
click OK
 Custom sorting

• The Custom Lists dialog box will

close. Click OK in the Sort dialog
box to perform the custom sort.
• The worksheet will be sorted by
the custom order. In our example,
the worksheet is now organized
by T-shirt size from smallest to
largest.
 Sorting levels

• If you need more control over how

your data is sorted, you can add
multiple levels to any sort. This
allows you to sort your data by more
than one column.
• To add a level:
• In our example below, we'll sort the
worksheet by T-Shirt Size (Column D),
and then by Homeroom
Number (column A).
• Select a cell in the column you want to
sort by. In our example, we'll select
cell A2.
 Sorting levels

• Click the Data tab, then select

the Sort command.
• The Sort dialog box will appear.
Select the first column you want
to sort by. In this example, we will
sort by T-Shirt Size (column D)
with the custom list we previously
created for the Order field.
• Click Add Level to add another
column to sort by.
Sorting levels

• Select the next column you want

to sort by, then click OK. In our
example, we'll sort by Homeroom
# (column A).
• The worksheet will
be sorted according to the
selected order. In our example,
the orders are sorted by T-shirt
size. Within each group of T-shirt
sizes, students are sorted by
homeroom number.
 Sorting levels

• If you need to change the order of

a multilevel sort, it's easy to
control which column is sorted
first. Simply select the
desired column, then click
the Move Up or Move
Down arrow to adjust its priority.
 Filtering Data in Excel 2016

• If your worksheet contains a lot of content, it can be difficult to find

information quickly.
• Filters can be used to narrow down the data in your worksheet, allowing
you to view only the information you need.
• To filter data
In our example, we'll apply a filter to an equipment log worksheet to
display only the laptops and projectors that are available for
checkout.
 Filtering Data in Excel 2016
• In order for filtering to work
correctly, your worksheet should
include a header row, which is
used to identify the name of each
column. In our example, our
worksheet is organized into
different columns identified by
the header cells in row
1: ID#, Type, Equipment Detail,
and so on.
• Select the Data tab, then click
the Filter command.
• A drop-down arrow will appear in
the header cell for each column.
• Click the drop-down arrow for the
column you want to filter. In our
example, we will filter
column B to view only certain
types of equipment.
• The Filter menu will appear.
• Uncheck the box next to Select
All to quickly deselect all data.
• Check the boxes next to the data
you want to filter, then click OK. In
this example, we will
check Laptop and Projector to
view only these types of
equipment.
• The data will be filtered,
temporarily hiding any content
that doesn't match the criteria. In
our example, only laptops and
projectors are visible.
• Filtering options can also be
accessed from the Sort &
Filter command on the Home tab.
 To apply multiple filters:
• Filters are cumulative, which means you
can apply multiple filters to help narrow
down your results.
• In this example, we've already filtered
our worksheet to show laptops and
projectors, and we'd like to narrow it
down further to only show laptops and
projectors that were checked out in
August.
• Click the drop-down arrow for the
column you want to filter. In this example,
we will add a filter to column D to view
information by date.
• The Filter menu will appear.
• Check or uncheck the boxes
depending on the data you want to
filter, then click OK. In our example,
we'll uncheck everything except
for August.
• The new filter will be applied. In our
example, the worksheet is now
filtered to show only laptops and
projectors that were checked out in
August.
 To clear a filter
• After applying a filter, you may want
to remove—or clear—it from your
worksheet so you'll be able to filter
content in different ways.
• Click the drop-down arrow for the
filter you want to clear. In our
example, we'll clear the filter in
column D.
• The Filter menu will appear.
• Choose Clear Filter From [COLUMN
NAME] from the Filter menu. In our
example, we'll select Clear Filter From
"Checked Out".
• The filter will be cleared from the
column. The previously hidden
data will be displayed.
• To remove all filters from your
worksheet, click
the Filter command on the Data
tab.
 Advanced filtering

• If you need a filter for something specific, basic filtering may not give you
enough options.
• Fortunately, Excel includes many advanced filtering tools,
including search, text, date, and number filtering, which can narrow
your results to help find exactly what you need.
• To filter with search
• Excel allows you to search for data that contains an exact phrase, number, date,
and more. In our example, we'll use this feature to show only Saris brand
products in our equipment log.
• Select the Data tab, then click
the Filter command. A drop-down
arrow will appear in the header
cell for each column. Note: If
you've already added filters to
your worksheet, you can skip this
step.
• Click the drop-down arrow for the
column you want to filter. In our
example, we'll filter column C.
• The Filter menu will appear. Enter
a search term into the search box.
Search results will appear
automatically below
the Text Filters field as you type.
In our example, we'll type saris to
find all Saris brand equipment.
When you're done, click OK.
• The worksheet will
be filtered according to your
search term. In our example, the
worksheet is now filtered to show
only Saris brand equipment.
 To use advanced text filters
• Advanced text filters can be used to
display more specific information, like
cells that contain a certain number of
characters or data that excludes a specific
word or number. In our example, we'd like
to exclude any item containing the
word laptop.
• Select the Data tab, then click
the Filter command. A drop-down
arrow will appear in the header cell for
each column. Note: If you've already
added filters to your worksheet, you can
skip this step.
• Click the drop-down arrow for the
column you want to filter. In our example,
we'll filter column C.
• The Filter menu will appear.
Hover the mouse over Text Filters,
then select the desired text filter
from the drop-down menu. In our
example, we'll choose Does Not
Contain to view data that does
not contain specific text.
• The Custom AutoFilter dialog box will
appear. Enter the desired text to the
right of the filter, then click OK. In our
example, we'll type laptop to exclude
any items containing this word.
• The data will be filtered by the
selected text filter. In our example, our
worksheet now displays items that do
not contain the word laptop.
 To use advanced number filters
• Advanced number filters allow you to
manipulate numbered data in different
ways. In this example, we'll display only
certain types of equipment based on the
range of ID numbers.
• Select the Data tab on the Ribbon, then
click the Filter command. A drop-down
arrow will appear in the header cell for
each column. Note: If you've already added
filters to your worksheet, you can skip this
step.
• Click the drop-down arrow for the column
you want to filter. In our example, we'll
filter column A to view only a certain range
of ID numbers.
• The Filter menu will appear. Hover the
mouse over Number Filters, then select
the desired number filter from the
drop-down menu. In our example, we'll
choose Between to view ID numbers
between a specific number range.
• The Custom AutoFilter dialog box will
appear. Enter the desired number(s) to
the right of each filter, then click OK. In
our example, we want to filter for ID
numbers greater than or equal
to 3000 but less than or equal to 6000,
which will display ID numbers in the
3000-6000 range.
• The data will be filtered by the
selected number filter. In our
example, only items with an ID
number
between 3000 and 6000 are
visible.
 To use advanced date filters
• Advanced date filters can be used to view
information from a certain time period, such
as last year, next quarter, or between two
dates. In this example, we'll use advanced
date filters to view only equipment that has
been checked out between July 15 and
August 15.
• Select the Data tab, then click
the Filter command. A drop-down arrow will
appear in the header cell for each
column. Note: If you've already added filters
to your worksheet, you can skip this step.
• Click the drop-down arrow for the column
you want to filter. In our example, we'll filter
column D to view only a certain range of
dates.
• The Filter menu will appear.
Hover the mouse over Date
Filters, then select the desired
date filter from the drop-down
menu. In our example, we'll
select Between to view
equipment that has been checked
out between July 15 and August
15.
• The Custom AutoFilter dialog box will
appear. Enter the desired date(s) to
the right of each filter, then click OK. In
our example, we want to filter for
dates after or equal to July 15, 2015,
and before or equal to August 15,
2015, which will display a range
between these dates.
• The worksheet will be filtered by the
selected date filter. In our example, we
can now see which items have been
checked out between July 15 and
August 15.
 For More Details on Excel 2016
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