Narrowing Your List with AutoFilter

Excel offers a feature called AutoFilter that allows you to easily display only a select group of records in your database. For example, you can display the records for only those people who live in Boston. Here's how you use AutoFilter:

1. Select the entire database, including the row you used for column labels.

2. Open the Data menu, point to Filter , and choose AutoFilter . Excel displays drop-down list arrow buttons inside each cell that contains a column label.

3. Click the drop-down list button for the field you want to use to filter the list. For example, if you want to display records for those people living in Boston, click the button in the City cell. A drop-down list appears, as shown in Figure 11.11. This list contains all the entries in the column.

   Figure 11.11. You can use AutoFilter to narrow your list.

   

4. Select the entry you want to use to narrow your list. You can use the arrow keys to scroll through the list, or type the first character in the entry's name to quickly move to it. Press Enter , or click the entry with your mouse. Excel filters the list.

To return to the full list, open the drop-down list again, and choose (All) . To turn off AutoFilter, open the Data menu, point to Filter , and click AutoFilter .