Instant Information!

Although it’s not a very good solution for general reporting, the AutoFilter tool is a quick and easy way for you to display only the desired records of data that fit into your defined grouping. By filtering out the records that do not interest you, your view of your data is Immediately Focused on the information you wish to examine.

First select any cell within your data, and then go to Data, Sort & Filter, and click on the Filter (the Funnel icon…). AutoFilter Arrows will appear at the top of each column, allowing you to filter on whichever column you choose. Filtering by Multiple Choices in the columns can also be done to narrow your focus on the data.

The AutoFilter tool is a sometimes an underused and under-loved convenience that has many built-in tricks most Excel users are unaware exists. Since a lot of Excel users are at least somewhat familiar with the basics in Autofiltering, let’s jump right into some of the lesser-known Cool Stuff!

Let’s say that one of the cells in your database or table contains information that you want to zero-in on.  By Right-Clicking (“Right-Click is our friend!”) the value, you can filter by the cell’s Value, Color, Font Color, or Icon!  Bamm, just like that! 

Depending on the nature of your data, you can also use the Number Filters or Text Filters that are available as Autofilter options.  You can even save yourself a bit of time and Sort without going out of the Autofilter menu.  Really Cool Stuff!

As I mentioned earlier, this tool may not be the best for routine reporting, but if Instant Information is what you are after, give it a try!