Sorting Worksheet Data

Being able to properly sort your worksheet data, whether in a standard table or data list, is one of the more important operations that you can perform on the data. When you sort worksheet data in Excel, you rearrange the rows or columns of the original data table or list so that they appear in a particular preferred order. To achieve this preferred order, you designate the column or rows in the table or list whose entries are to be used in determining the new data arrangement.

This technique introduces you to the process of sorting worksheet data. It begins by covering the basic sorting of the records in a data list using one, two, or even three fields in the list. The technique then shows you how to add a number field to the data list so that you can use that field to restore the sorted records to the order in which they were originally entered. Finally, you get the lowdown on doing more complex sorts of data lists that involve more than three fields and how to use the Sort feature to rearrange the columns (fields) in an existing table of data or data list.