Datasheet

3. Select the first sort key.
Use the Sort By drop-down list to select the field that you want to use for
sorting. Next, choose what you want to use for sorting: values, cell
colors, font colors, or icons. Probably, you’re going to sort by values, in
which case, you’ll also need to indicate whether you want records
arranged in ascending or descending order by selecting either the
ascending A to Z or descending Z to A entry from the Order box.
Ascending order, predictably, alphabetizes labels and arranges values in
smallest-value-to-largest-value order. Descending order arranges labels
in reverse alphabetical order and values in largest-value-to-smallest-
value order. If you sort by color or icons, you need to tell Excel how it
should sort the colors by using the options that the Order box provides.
Typically, you want the key to work in ascending or descending order.
However, you might want to sort records by using a chronological
sequence, such as Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and so on, or January,
February, March, and so forth. To use one of these other sorting options,
select the custom list option from the Order box and then choose one of
these other ordering methods from the dialog box that Excel displays.
4. (Optional) Specify any secondary keys.
If you want to sort records that have the same primary key with a sec-
ondary key, click the Add Level button and then use the next row of
choices from the Then By drop-down lists to specify which secondary
keys you want to use. If you add a level that you later decide you don’t
want or need, click the sort level and then click the Delete Level button.
You can also duplicate the selected level by clicking Copy Level. Finally,
if you do create multiple sorting keys, you can move the selected sort
level up or down in significance by clicking the Move Up or Move Down
buttons.
Note: The Sort dialog box also provides a My Data Has Headers check
box that enables you to indicate whether the worksheet range selection
includes the row and field names. If you’ve already told Excel that a
worksheet range is a table, however, this check box is disabled.
5. (Really optional) Fiddle-faddle with the sorting rules.
If you click the Options button in the Sort dialog box, Excel displays the
Sort Options dialog box, shown in Figure 1-10. Make choices here to fur-
ther specify how the first key sort order works.
Figure 1-10:
Sorting out
your sorting
options.
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Part I: Where’s the Beef?
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