Fortunately, one can quickly and easily sort data thanks to using the sorting options offered by Google Sheets, a well-liked cloud-based spreadsheet program.
Data organization is an important practice that can make all the difference in today’s digital world when managing and analyzing information. Being able to organize and arrange data in a meaningful way can significantly increase productivity and decision-making skills, whether you are a student, professional, or business owner.
This article will explain two quick ways to efficiently sort the data in Google Sheets and also explain the types of Sorting in Google Sheets.
What is meant by Sorting in Google Sheets?
Rearranging a spreadsheet’s rows or columns according to defined criteria is known as sorting in Google Sheets. It enables to organize and structure data in a way that makes it simpler to analyze and deal with. It can be used to group related data together, spot patterns, and obtain information from the spreadsheet by sorting its data.
Data can be sorted in Google Sheets using ascending or descending order depending on a variety of criteria, including dates, numerical values, alphabetical order, and custom criteria.
What are the Types of Sorting in Google Sheets?
In Google Sheets, there are several types of sorting options available to help in arranging the data in a desired order. Here are the main types of sorting in Google Sheets:
Sorting by Values: This kind of sorting is used to arrange the data according to numbers or alphabets. The order of the columns can be changed to be either ascending (smallest to largest, or from A to Z), or descending (largest to smallest, or from Z to A).
Example: To understand the sorting by value, we will select the column of “Employee Name” in the “Employees Information” Google Sheet:
Then click on “Data” in the menu bar, choose “ Sort range”, and then select the sort arrangement. For example, we have chosen the “Sort range by column B (A to Z)”:
The data in the selected column has been sorted by the values:
Sorting by Color: It can be used to arrange the data depending on the colors used to manually highlight cells with different colors or to apply conditional formatting. This is helpful when you wish to organize or rank data according to particular color-coded standards. To sort the data by color, you are supposed to make an app script.
Sorting by Date or Time: One can arrange data chronologically in Google Sheets because it can recognize date and time values. When working with time-sensitive information this style of sorting is quite helpful.
Example: To sort the data by date or time, again select the column or columns, you want to sort out. For example, we select the employees’ information in the “Employees Information” Google Sheet:
Then click on “Data”, then “Sort range”, and then choose the “Advanced range sorting options”:
Specified the Column by which data is supposed to sort and then click on “Sort”:
The Employee’s information has been sorted with reference to the joining date:
Sorting by Custom Order: Google Sheets gives the possibility to design a unique sorting order in addition to the usual sorting options. When one has specific requirements that are not met by numerical or alphabetical sorting, this is helpful. To sort data, for instance, by priority, status, or any other particular category, one can establish a custom order.
Sorting Range of Columns: Moreover, one can sort multiple columns simultaneously in Google Sheets while preserving the connections between the data in each column. This is useful if one wishes to preserve consistency while sorting similar data spread over multiple columns.
What are the Two Easy Methods to Sort in Google Sheets?
There are two easy and quick approaches to sorting the data in Google Sheets.
Method 1: Using the “Data” Option in the Toolbar
The first and easy method to sort the Google Sheet is to select the cell of the column by which the Google Sheet is supposed to be sorted. For example, we select the “Employee Name” column and then click on the “Data” in the toolbar:
A drop-down menu will appear, choose the “Sort Sheet” and then choose the order of sorting:
The sheet has been sorted by the defined criteria:
This is the quickest and easiest way to sort the data in Google Sheets.
Method 2: Using the Formula for Sorting
Another method of sorting is by using the “Sort” formula in Google Sheets. The general syntax of using the “Sort” formula is:
=SORT(range, sort_column, criteria)
In the above general syntax of using the Sort formula:
- First, define the range on which the sorting is applied
- Then define the column according to which the sorting will be done
- And lastly, define the “True” for ascending order and “False” for descending order
To understand this, again we will open the “Employees Information” Google Sheet:
Then select any cell and use the formula:
=SORT(A3:C7, B3:B7, True)
The sorted data will be displayed, once you press the “ENTER” key:
The data has been sorted using the formula in Google Sheets.
Conclusion
To sort the data in Google Sheets either use the “Sort Sheet” option from the “Data” of the toolbar or use the “Sort” formula. Both methods of sorting have been explained with the examples in the above post. This article has presented how we can sort our data in Google Sheets.
