Excel Sort

Rise
StarLounger
Posts: 56
Joined: 07 Jun 2010, 21:36

Excel Sort

Post by Rise »

Hello, long time no post! I don't have much need for excel macros or database work these days, but I have run into a new conundrum that requires Eileen's lounge level expertise :grin: I have a process in my job where we do an impact/difficulty mapping of opportunities in a process. The way I sort is Impact (highest to lowest) and then difficulty (lowest to highest) but this isn't really accurate. I made an image to help detail exactly what I'd prefer to do:

http://imgur.com/bVg1VdI

Basically, the way I'd like to sort is as follows:

10,1 (highest impact, lowest difficulty)
9,1; 10,2
8,1; 9,2; 10,3
7,1; 8,2; 9,3; 10,4
and so on.

I call it echelon sorting (it probably has a real name that I don't know) and it is a pain to sort large lists by hand like this (50-100+ line items). Does excel have any built in functionality to do something like this? Or does it require a macro to sort in this manner?

:cheers:

User avatar
HansV
Administrator
Posts: 78236
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 00:14
Status: Microsoft MVP
Location: Wageningen, The Netherlands

Re: Excel Sort

Post by HansV »

Create a an extra column with formulas that calculate impact-difficulty. So for example if impact=8 and difficulty=2, this column will have 8-2=6.
Sort on the new column (highest to lowest) and on difficulty (lowest to highest).
Best wishes,
Hans

Rise
StarLounger
Posts: 56
Joined: 07 Jun 2010, 21:36

Re: Excel Sort

Post by Rise »

Great & simple solution Hans! Thanks so much.