To focus on specific data in an Excel pivot table, you can add a field to the Report Filter area. Then, select one or more items from that pivot table field, to see the summarized data.

If you put a date field in the Report Filter area, there might be a long list of dates in the dropdown list. When you create the pivot table, the dates are usually in ascending order, with the oldest dates at the top of the list.

That's not too convenient, if you want to focus on the latest data, instead of the oldest. How can you change the sort order, to put the newest dates at the top of the list?

Sort the Report Filter Field

Usually, it's easy to sort a pivot table field. For example, if you right-click on a field in the Row area, the popup menu shows sorting and grouping options.

However, when you right-click a Report Filter field, those sorting and grouping options aren't listed in the popup menu.

Move the Pivot Table Field

To solve the sorting problem, you can use a workaround – temporarily move the Report Filter field to the Row Labels area.

Then, use the right-click popup menu to sort the date field in descending order.

Drag the field back to the Report Filter area, after you sort it.

Report Filter Dates in Descending Order

After you sort the field in descending order, you'll see the latest dates at the top of the drop down list.

It's not the ideal solution, but it works! Maybe in the next version of Excel you'll be able to sort the fields, without moving them from the Report Filter area.

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In a pivot table, you usually sort the data by the values in a column, such as the Grand Total column. By sorting, you can highlight the highest or lowest values, by moving them to the top of the pivot table.

To sort a pivot table column:

• Right-click on a value cell, and click Sort.
• Then, click Sort Smallest to Largest or Sort Largest to Smallest

Sort a Pivot Table Row

You can also sort a pivot table row by its values, left to right. This moves the largest or smallest amounts to the left of the pivot table, so you can focus on them.

For example, in the pivot table shown below, you can sort the Chocolate Chip row, so sales per city are sorted in descending order. Currently, the cities columns are in alphabetical order, with Boston at the left.

To sort a pivot table row:

1. In the pivot table, right-click a value cell in the Chocolate Chip row.
2. Click Sort, and then click More Sort Options

   
    

3. In the Sort By Value dialog box, under Sort Options, select Largest to Smallest.
4. Under Sort direction, select Left to Right. In the Summary section, you can see a description of the sort settings.

    

5. Click OK to close the dialog box.

View the Results

The values in the Chocolate Chip row are sorted largest to smallest, from left to right. The City column order has changed, and Chicago, which has the highest Chocolate Chip sales, is at the left.

Rows for other products may not be in descending order, because the column order has been set by the values in the Chocolate Chip row.

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If you add new products to your pivot table source data, and refresh the pivot table, the new products will appear in the drop down lists. Sometimes though, the new items appear at the end of the list, instead of in alphabetical order. This problem can occur if you have manually rearranged the items in the Row Labels area.

For example, binders were just added to this pivot table’s source data. When the pivot table was refreshed, Binders appeared at the bottom of the Product list, instead of the top.

Because it’s not in alphabetical order, it’s difficult to find the new product in the list. You’d like the product list sorted alphabetically.

Sort the List

If a field is set for Manual sort, new items will appear at the end of the drop-down list. Follow these steps to sort the field in ascending order:

1. Right-click a cell in the Product field. For example, right-click the Envelopes cell.
2. Click Sort, and then click Sort A to Z.

When you sort the Product field, its sort setting changes from Manual to Sort Ascending or Sort Descending. This also sorts the drop-down list, and makes it easier for users to find the items they need.

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For more information on Pivot Tables, please see the Pivot Table Tutorials on the Contextures Website. _________________