Excel® 2007: Top 100 Simplified® Tips & Tricks

Chapter 4. Manipulate Records

A list is a set of columns and rows. Each column represents a single type of data. For example, a list might have three columns: name, gender, and age. Each row in the list is a record. For each record in the list, the name column contains a name, the gender column contains a gender, and the age column contains an age. When you structure a worksheet as a list, you can tap the Excel database-like capabilities that go beyond what is possible with a simple worksheet.

This chapter shows you how to work with lists and other data that you structure as lists. Much of the chapter focuses on sorting and filtering. To sort means to arrange a list in order, either alphabetically or numerically. You can sort and re-sort lists as necessary and even sort within a sort. To filter means to display only the information that meets certain criteria — temporarily hiding the rest.

Advanced filtering gives you tools for filtering out duplicate records and applying multiple complex filters to your data.

With data formatted as a list, you can count, average, and subtotal parts of your data that meet certain criteria. In a customer survey, for example, you can count the number of senior citizens who prefer a certain sport or compare the time spent online among different age groups in different communities. You carry out calculations by using the Ribbon or by using database functions. Refer to Chapter 2 to learn more about functions.

When you organize data into a list, you have ...