Google Sheets, a part of Google Workspace, is a web-based application that enables users to create, update and modify spreadsheets and share the data live online. One of its many features is the ability to sort and organize data. In this blog post, we will cover how to organize your Google Sheets by date to streamline your workflow and make data analysis a breeze.
Understanding Google Sheets Sorting
Sorting is a powerful tool for organizing your data. In Google Sheets, you can sort by date, number, or text in ascending or descending order. This is particularly useful when dealing with large datasets. Let’s dive into how to sort your Google Sheets data by date.
Sorting Google Sheets by Date
Sorting Google Sheets by date is a fairly straightforward process. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Open your Google Sheets document.
- Select the column that contains the dates. Click on the letter of the column and ensure that all the cells in the column are highlighted.
- On the toolbar at the top, click on Data.
- Then click on Sort sheet by column A-Z if you want it in ascending order or Sort sheet by column Z-A if you want it in descending order.
Using a Custom Sorting Order
If you have a column with dates that are not recognized as dates (they might be in a text format), you may need to use a custom sorting order.
You can create a custom date sorting order in Google Sheets using formulas. Here’s an example: suppose your dates are in the format “dd-mm-yyyy” in Column A starting from cell A2. You can use the formula:
=ARRAYFORMULA(DATEVALUE(SUBSTITUTE(A2:A, "-", "/")))
This will convert the dates into a format that Google Sheets can understand and sort. You can then sort this new column to get a sorted list of dates.
Conclusion
Sorting your Google Sheets by date is an efficient way to arrange your data and make your spreadsheet more manageable. Whether your dates are in standard format or a custom format, Google Sheets offers the flexibility to sort and organize your data effectively. Happy sorting!
