One of the key functions of tables is its ability to sort your data. Let’s look at the sample table we worked with at the very beginning of this section:

Let’s say that we want to know who sold the most widgets. The easiest way to do this is to click in the widgets column and click the Sort Descending () button on the tables and borders toolbar. Here’s an example:

Now, the Widgets column shows the biggest number to the smallest. In order to do this, it has had to rearrange our rows.

We can do the opposite and see who sold the least widgets by clicking the Sort Ascending () button on the Tables and Borders toolbar:

Once again, Word has re-arranged our rows so we can view the Widgets column from the smallest number sold to the largest.

This also works for words. To sort the names alphabetically, we can in that column and then click the Sort Descending button:

The Sort Ascending and Sort Descending buttons are great for doing a simple sort. But if you need more advanced options, click the Table menu and click Sort. You’ll see the dialog pictured on the left.

You can set up to three sort options. For each option, you can specify the column to sort, the type of field (text, number, or date), and if you want an ascending or descending sort.

At the bottom of the Sort by options, you can choose whether your list has a header row or not. (A Header Row is the first row that describes the data in each column. Our sample table above has a header row.

You can also click Options to set advanced sort criteria; we’re not going to cover that set of options right now.

Once your options are set, click OK to sort.

Let’s look at an example. To make understanding this concept easier, we’ve added a new column to our table:

So, let’s say we want to see who sold the most widgets in each area. First, we’ll sort by widgets (descending) and then sort by area (ascending). Here’s what we’ll enter into our sort window:

Once we click Sort, this is what our table will look like:

All the data is still in the proper place, the rows are just arranged differently. We can see that Bob sold the most widgets in the rural area, while Mary sold the most in the main area.

Sorts can be as simple or as complex as you need, so use them as a tool to view your data in different ways.