How to filter in Excel – finding specific data
One of the key tasks you will probably be carrying out in Excel is the capacity to filter. In order to make the filtering experience as smooth as possible here are the guidelines you need to use when setting up your data:
- No blank rows or columns
- Blank cells are fine
- Headings should be in one cell and your entries should be set up side by side.
- Spell repeating entries the same way. Galway and County Galway may be the same to you. For Excel, they are two completely separate entities.
- Try and be granular in your headings. e.g. have Title, first name and surname in separate headings. If they are in separate headings, they are much easier to sort.
- A useful tip is to highlight your data all the way across – this helps ensure that you are maintaining the integrity of the data. I got this tip from Gina Cohen, another trainer.
In the video below you will see examples of the following filters.
- Filter by a single entry (and then clearing the filter)
- Filter by multiple values
- Filtering by dates
- Filtering by parts of a word
- Filtering for values above/below/between certain values
Note this is fake data and I got these names from the very handy website Fake Name Generator
You can download the file here to work on it.