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November 21, 2012 Leave a Comment

How to Use Multiple Sorting Options in Excel

Sort Using Cell Icons

Sort based on Cell icons in Excel

Beginning with Excel 2007, the Sorting Commands gained several new features and became much more powerful. For example, you are no longer limited to three levels of sorting. You can sort using as many levels as you need. In addition, you can now sort by Cell or Font Colors and also sort using the new Cell Icons.

While I was training one of my clients last week, several questions about sorting came up. So, in this video I will demonstrate several of the new features as well as showing you how to take advantage of many sorting options that have been around for some time. For example, using a Horizontal Sort to quickly rearrange the order of your columns!

Sorting Options on Video Tutorial

Here are the sorting options that I demonstrate on my video:

  • Sort on Values using a Custom List
    • First, I use a built-in custom list (Months of the Year).
    • Next, I demonstrate how to create a custom list that you can use with AutoFill and also with custom sorting.
  •  Sort data based upon Cell Icon
    • Cell Icons were introduced in Excel 2007 as part of the major upgrade to Conditional Formatting.
  • Sort Horizontally to quickly rearrange the order of your columns (fields) in your data set.
    • This feature has been available for many years. However, in my experience, very few people are aware of its existence.
    • Once you  learn this technique, you can stop the tedious task process of Insert Column, Cut Column, Paste Column, Delete Column, etc.

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June 29, 2011 Leave a Comment

Working with Custom Lists in All Versions of Excel

Edit Custom Lists in Excel

Edit Custom Lists in Excel

Custom Lists in Excel are great because the help to ensure accuracy and consistency when entering data on a worksheet. Excel comes with several Custom Lists built-in to the program – e.g. Days of the Week and Months of the Year. Now, you can quickly use Excel’s AutoFill handle to add Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, etc. in any direction (vertical or horizontal) on the active worksheet.

Edit Custom Lists

You can quickly create – or edit – your own Custom List. Follow these steps:

  1. Type your list in a contiguous group of cells – either vertically or horizontally.
  2. Select the cells with the values that you just entered.
  3. Spell check this list – use the F7 Keyboard Shortcut
  4. Open up the Edit Custom List Dialog Box. (Watch this video to see how this is differs between Excel 2010, Excel 2007 and Excel 2003.)
  5. With your new Custom List selected, click the “Import” button to add your Custom List to the current version of Excel on this computer.

Sort Data Using a Custom List

On this video tutorial, I demonstrate how to sort a list of data using a Custom List – e.g. to get the “Month” field sorted in chronological order (January, February, etc.) This will save you a great deal of time!

Create a Custom List for Letters of Alphabet

Having a Custom List for the 26 letters of the alphabet comes in handy on many occasions. I show you how to AutoFill down the initial list using =Char(Row() + 64) beginning in Row 1 – a really usefuly function!

View This Excel Video Tutorial in High Definition

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March 6, 2011 1 Comment

How to Sort Pivot Table Field Values in Excel

With a Pivot Table, you have more options and more flexibility when it comes to sorting your field values than you do with a regular Excel data set. However, many of my clients and viewers seem to get “lost” when it comes to creating custom sorts for their Pivot Table Field Valuess. So, let me demonstrate four ways to sort fields to suit your needs.

Sorting Fields in Pivot Tables

Sort Pivot Table Fields

Sort the Order of Months

 

If you create a Pivot Table for a Fiscal Year or,as in this example a Water Year, you will want to sort the Month Fields to match the starting and ending months in your FY. There are at least three ways to do this:

  1. Right click on the month that you want as your first month. Choose Move from the shortcut menu and select Move (in this case) Oct to Beginning.
  2. Another way to relocate a field value is to select the bottom part of the cell. When you see the 4-heard black cross, just move the field value to the new location. You will see a Gray Horizontal Bar as you drag the field.
  3. Most amazing way to move a field value  – and seeing is believing – is to go to the cell where you want to place the field value and just “type in the name of the field value. Incredibly, Excel moves the field values to accommodate the value that you typed in! This only works with a Pivot Table.

Sort Using a Custom List

You can create a Custom List and use that for sorting the values in your Pivot Table Field. After you create your Custom List (I show you how in this video) you choose the Pivot Table Options Sort command and then choose the direction – Ascending or Descending.

In Pivot Tables, Excel remembers your custom Field Value Settings when you move – or Pivot – field from Rows to Columns for example.

 After you watch this short five minute video lesson you will know how to sort field values in Pivot Tables to suit your needs.

Pivot Table Resources

Pivot Table Training Resources

Pivot Table Training Resources

I have published 90 Minute Video Tutorials to help you to quickly master Pivot Tables. No matter which version of Excel that you are using (Excel 2010, 2007, or 2003), I offer video training that is specific to your version. You can learn more about these resources at my secure online shopping website – http://shop.thecompanyrocks.com

Learn how to “Quickly Create Pivot Tables and Charts”

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August 9, 2008 Leave a Comment

Review Custom List Sorting, Subtotals, and Consolidation in Excel

This video reviews 4 Excel topics. Creating a Custom List and then sorting according to the Custom List; Creating Subtotals and also Consolidating Data according to Category.

These topics are consistently the most viewed on my website.

Here are the steps to follow in this Excel Video Lesson:

  1. Enter the values for your Custom List in either a column or row. Select the list and then Spell Check it (F7 key is the shortcut.)
  2. With the list still selected, go to Tools, Options, Custom List Tab, Import, OK.
  3. To sort data using the Custom List, be sure to click Options and then select the custom list from the drop-down in “First key sort order.”
  4. Sort your list prior to creating Subtotals. Data, Subtotals and then make selections in the dialog box.
  5. Consolidate Data by Category: First, select the top cell where your Consolidation Report will appear. Then select Data, Consolidation. Select the Reference Range to be consolidated. When consolidating “By Category,” be sure to select your Top Row (Labels) as well as the data. Click Add.
  6. Be sure to check the “Use labels in:” Top Row and Left Column boxes. Click OK.

Find the Excel Video Lesson that you want – Index to all Excel Topics

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Related Excel Video Lessons

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