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Microsoft Excel 2010
Advanced filtering
When filtering your data according to more than one filter criterion, AutoFilter only allows you to select one
group of criteria. If you need to select more than one group, you can do this using an advanced filter.
Advanced filters also allow you to filter your data based on calculations. For example, you could set the
filter to convert a value in imperial units to a value in metric units before selecting all values above a certain
value in metric.
Setting up an advanced filter
You will have to make some alterations to your spreadsheet in order to set up an advanced filter. To
specify your filter criteria, you must first duplicate the row containing your headers (the labels for your
columns).
Duplicating the header row
To duplicate your header row:
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Select the entire top row by clicking on the number at the left-hand end of it
Click the copy button on the home tab of the ribbon
Click the insert button
Press the escape key to exit copy mode
Select the row by
clicking on the
row header –
then click copy
Click the insert button to
duplicate the top line –
then press the escape
key to exit copy mode
This will duplicate the
data headers for your
columns
Microsoft Excel 2010
Creating the criteria rows
You must then create one blank row for each set of criteria that you want to include in your filter. Criteria
rows should be between the two data header rows.
To create a criteria row:
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Select the second data header row
Click the insert button on the home tab of the ribbon
Repeat until you have all the criteria rows you need
If you decide later that you need more groups of criteria added to your filter, you can add more rows. If you
have added more rows than you need, then you must be careful to select the right ones when you apply
your filter.
To create criteria rows,
select the second row of
data headers
Click the insert button to create blank
rows between the two sets of headers
The criteria for
your filter will be
entered into the
blank rows –
each row forms a
group of criteria
NOTE: you can create your second header row and criteria rows anywhere in your spreadsheet as long as
you specify where they are when applying the filter
Microsoft Excel 2010
Advanced filter criteria
To perform an advanced filter, you will need to set the filter criteria in the blank rows you have created.
Each criteria row forms a group of criteria which must be found in combination in a row of data for that row
to be shown when the filter is applied – items which do not fulfil all the criteria in a row will be hidden by the
filter.
Each cell containing a criterion has a position within a row and a column. The column indicates which
column of the data that criterion will be applied to, and the row indicates which criterion group that particular
criterion belongs to.
Defining criteria
Criteria are defined using formulae which return either “true” or “false” as their results. The filter will select
only those records where the result of the function is “true”.
Filter criteria are very similar to the logical tests applied when constructing an IF function.
In effect, each criterion asks question of the cells in its column to which there is either a “yes” (true) or “no”
(false) answer.
Comparing numerical values
To set your criteria for columns containing numerical data, you will need to construct an expression which
compares the numbers in the column to either an absolute number or the result of a function or formula. To
do this, you will need to construct a formula using comparison operators – less than, more than, equal to
and so on.
For example, if we have a spreadsheet containing information about a series of food orders, we can set the
filter to pick out all orders over £100 by constructing a filter criterion which asks the question “is the order
cost over £100?”
We will enter the filter criterion into the top blank row, in the order total column. To ask the question, we will
use a comparison operator, and type in:
>100
When we apply the filter, it will then select all records where the value in the order total column is more than
100.
Excel needs to read filter criteria as text rather than as formulae. Therefore, you may need to put an
apostrophe at the start of your criterion to indicate that it is not a formula (particularly if you are using an
‘equals’ criterion, as without the apostrophe Excel will try to construct a formula from what you type into the
cell). This apostrophe will not display in the cell, but will show in the formula bar if you select the cell.
If you are using < or > at the start of your criterion, Excel will automatically add the apostrophe for you.
Microsoft Excel 2010
Comparison operators
The comparison operators you can use in constructing filter criteria are as follows:
Criterion
Operator
Equals
=
Not equal to
<>
Greater than
>
Less than
<
Greater than or equal to
>=
Less than or equal to
<=
Filtering for specific text
If you are filtering for cells containing particular bits of text, you will need to put inverted commas around
the text to ensure that Excel searches for the right word or phrase.
For instance, we could search for all orders processed by Julia Joyce. To do this we would need enter the
criterion into column C as that is where the employee names are.
To search for a particular name, we would type in:
="=Julia Joyce"
We use the ="=[text]" construction because Excel treats the equals sign as an indicator that we are
entering a function or formula, so if we just put in =Julia Joyce, Excel would try to look for a function starting
with ‘Julia Joyce’. The inverted commas tell Excel that it is looking for the set phrase meaning ‘equal to
Julia Joyce.
Picking out cells which begin with certain words or characters
To search for text that begins with a particular string of characters, simply type an apostrophe and then
the string of characters.
For example, if you are looking for all items made by Sir Rodney, your criterion would be:
‘sir rod
This asks the question “does the cell in this column begin “sir rod”?” The filter will return results where this
is true – so it would return cells containing either “Sir Rodney’s Scones” or “Sir Rodney’s Marmalade” as
both begin “sir rod”.
NOTE: text filter criteria are not case-sensitive, so you do not need to capitalize words.
Microsoft Excel 2010
Defining a criteria group
To filter for data that satisfies more than one criterion at a time, you should put all the criteria you want to
use in combination into the same row of filter criteria. The filter will only show records which meet all the
conditions set out in the row of criteria.
Each row therefore forms a criteria group.
For example, if we wanted to find out how many times a particular employee had processed an order for
more than £100, we would put two filter criteria in the first row – one to search for the employee name and
one to search for orders over £100.
To find all the instances where Julia Joyce
processed orders over £100, we need to
create two criteria on the same row
Using multiple criteria groups
Up to this point, everything that we have looked at using advanced filtering can be achieved using an
AutoFilter. One big advantage of using an advanced filter rather than an AutoFilter is that it allows you to
set up multiple groups of criteria by using several rows.
When you use more than one row, the filter will show rows of data which meet all the criteria in either one
row or the other. Each row acts as a separate filter, and then all results for each row are shown.
Microsoft Excel 2010
In this example, the first criteria group (in row 2) picks out all records processed by Julia Joyce where the
line total was over £100, and the second criteria group (in row 3) picks out all records where a quantity of
Teatime Chocolate Biscuits was ordered to a line total value of less than £150. The filter results will show
records which meet either the conditions in row 2 or the conditions in row 3.
Row 2 selects records where Julia Joyce
processed orders for more than £100
Row 3 selects records where an order for
Teatime Chocolate Biscuits was made
which totalled less than £150
The results for this filter will show items
where either the row 2 conditions are met
or the row 3 conditions are met
Applying an advanced filter
Once you have set up the criteria for your filter, you will need to apply it to see the filter results. This
involves specifying a list range (the data to which the filter will be applied) and a criteria range (the range
of cells which contain your criteria). You can also choose to copy the filtered data to another location
within your workbook, and can set the filter to only copy over unique records.
To apply an advanced filter:
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Go to the data tab on the ribbon
Click on the advanced button in the sort & filter group
In the advanced filter dialogue box, specify a list range – this is the data below your second
header row, and is usually selected automatically
Enter a criteria range – this is the first header row and any non-blank criteria rows you have
created
Click OK to apply the filter
NOTE: if you accidentally include a blank row in your filter criterion, the filter will not work as it will select
and keep all the cells in your data range.
Microsoft Excel 2010
As with an AutoFilter, the row header numbers will appear in blue for your filtered data to indicate that some
rows are hidden.
To apply an
advanced filter,
set your criteria
in the top few
rows, then click
the advanced
button
Enter a list range –
the cells which
contain the data that
you want to filter
Enter a criteria range –
this tells Excel which rows
contain your criteria
The row headers
will appear in
blue in your
filtered sheet to
show that some
rows are hidden
You can use
the roll-up
buttons to
select your
ranges using
the mouse
Click OK to
apply the filter
Microsoft Excel 2010
Showing filtered results in another location
Excel can place a copy of the filtered results from your data into another portion of your worksheet so that
you can refer to both the original and filtered results. The copy of the filtered data remains available even if
you clear the filter from the original data.
You can then copy the filtered data into another worksheet or workbook if you need to.
To copy filtered data to another location:
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Set up your filter criteria
Click on the advanced button on the data tab of the ribbon
In the advanced filter dialogue box, specify the list range and the criteria range for your filter
At the top of the dialogue box, click the copy to another location button
In the copy to box, specify the cell which will form the top left-hand corner of the filtered data*
Click OK to apply the filter
*you can do this by clicking on the cell. Make sure that there is space for the rest of the data to be
pasted around this cell – it is a good idea to choose a cell to the right-hand side of your original
data.
To extract the filter results to a
different place on your worksheet,
click copy to another location
Click on a cell in your sheet or type
here to specify where you want the
top-left cell of the extracted data to go
The extracted data
will be pasted into
your sheet starting
in the cell you have
specified
Microsoft Excel 2010
Adjusting and reapplying an advanced filter
If you need to alter the criteria for your filter, or add more filter criteria rows, you can do this by adding in or
changing the relevant cells in the filter criteria, and then clicking on the advanced button on the data tab of
the ribbon. You will then need to follow the usual steps to reapply the filter.
Removing duplicated records using advanced filter
In the process of creating an advanced filter, you can have the filter remove duplicate records from your
data. You do not have the option to review the duplicates before you remove them using this method.
To remove duplicates using an advanced filter:
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Set up your filter criteria
Click on the advanced button on the data tab of the ribbon
In the advanced filter dialogue box, specify the list range and the criteria range for your filter
Tick the box for unique records only
Click OK to apply the filter
To remove duplicate records
during the filtering process, tick
the unique records only box
Creating more complex filter criteria
You may find that you need to increase the complexity of the criteria that you put into each of your criteria
rows. You can do this by using formulae and functions to perform calculations to make your criteria.
Using a formula or function as a criterion
If you are using a formula or function as a criterion, you must make sure that the formula you choose gives
a result that is either ‘true’ or ‘false’.
Examples of where this is required include filtering for numbers which fall between two values, or looking
for items which are a certain amount or percentage above the average value.
When entering a formula or function, you should use the first line of your data to enter any cell references
into the formula. For instance, here our data starts in row 6, so we will use row 6 in any formulae we
construct in the filter criteria.
NOTE: The formula will need to be written in a column which does not contain data.
As the data to be filtered begins in row 6, we will use
cell references from row 6 in our function criteria
Microsoft Excel 2010
Filtering for numbers between two values
This is an example of using a function as a criterion.
If you want to pick out records where the value in a particular column falls between two values, you can do
this by creating a criterion using the AND function. This lets you set both the upper and lower limits for your
value within the same criterion cell.
The AND function in our criterion cell will look like this:
=AND(J6>100,J6<500)
Functions or formulae used in criteria must give the results
“TRUE” or “FALSE” – the AND function will return “TRUE” if
both these conditions are met and “FALSE” if they are not
To use this function in a filter, it must be in a separate column to the data being filtered. In this instance
we will put the function in column K.
Any criterion requiring calculation based
on your data must be put into a column
which does not contain data
Cell references in
calculated criteria
should refer to cells
in the top row of data
When the filter is applied, this example will now show all items where the line total is between £100 and
£500.
Microsoft Excel 2010
Filtering for values more than 50 per cent above the average value
This is an example of using a calculation (containing a function) as a criterion.
To select records based on a calculated value, you will need to use a column that does not contain any
data. You should then construct a formula for the calculation you will perform. In this instance, we will use
the AVERAGE function and multiply it by 1.5 to give a value 50 per cent above the average. We will then
use a comparison operator to make the formula into a true/false statement – either the item is more than 50
per cent above average, or it is not.
For calculating the average, we will need to use an absolute reference to ensure that all values are being
compared to the same average.
The formula we will use for this calculation is:
=J6>1.5*AVERAGE($J$6:$J:$2091)
The first equals sign tells
Excel that it will need to
make a calculation
The greater than symbol
ensures that this formula
gives a true/false response
The calculation for the
average needs to use
absolute references
so that the average
does not change as
each value is checked
When this filter is applied, it will compare each value in column J to the average for that column, and pick
out those values which are more than 1.5 times the average value.
NOTE: If you add more data to the worksheet, you will need to make sure to update the absolute cell
reference to include the new data before applying the filter.
Microsoft Excel 2010
Wildcards
A wildcard is a character you can insert into a text filter criterion in order to account for missing characters
or misspelled words. Where a wildcard is used, the filter will skip over any text containing the wildcard
characters and find items which match just the beginning and end of the cell contents.
There are three different types of wildcard that you can use:
Wildcard character
Use
Example
Question mark (?)
Skipping a single letter
wom?n – would find both
“woman” and “women”
Asterisk (*)
Skipping more than one letter
Re*tion – would find “reaction”,
“relation”, “revelation”, “repetition”
and so on
Tilde (~)
Searching for characters which
are usually wildcard characters –
used in combination with either
an asterisk or a question mark
Why~? – would find “why?”
(“why” without the question mark
would be ignored)
Calculations performed on filtered data
If you want to perform a calculation on a range of data which you will then filter, the calculation will not
usually take account of the filter you apply. This means that if, for instance, you calculate the average
value of a range, that average will not update to exclude the data you have filtered out.
To create a calculation which updates when you apply a filter, you should use the SUBTOTAL function.
The SUBTOTAL function
When you use the AutoSum feature it will automatically insert a SUBTOTAL function into the selected cell.
This function has two required parameters: a function number and a range of cells. The function number
added by default is one which includes hidden cells. To alter this so that hidden cells are not included in
the function output, you will need to add 100 to the function reference number.
=SUBTOTAL(109,J6:J2091)
The function number tells Excel
which calculation to perform –
function numbers above 100 will
ignore any hidden cells when
making the calculation
You will also need to enter a
range to show Excel which cells
to perform the calculation on
Microsoft Excel 2010
You can also create a SUBTOTAL function by typing it into the cell rather than using the AutoSum button.
If you are doing this, you will see a list of function numbers and can choose the one most appropriate to
your calculation.
If you are typing in the
SUBTOTAL function, you will
see a list of possibly
functions – double-click on a
function number to use it
Numbers over 100 will
ignore any hidden cells
Finding blank cells
If your data is missing certain information, you may want to perform a filter to find the empty cells so that
you can check and add the missing information.
To do this, you can use the ISBLANK function.
The ISBLANK function
To use the ISBLANK function, select a criterion cell above an empty column. The ISBLANK function
requires just one parameter: the reference for the cell to be checked. This will usually be the first cell of a
column of data to be checked.
In this example, the data begins in row 6 and there are blanks in column D, so we will construct the
ISBLANK function using D6 as a reference:
=ISBLANK(D6)
The ISBLANK function searches
for blank cells – if the cell is empty
it will return “true”, and if there is
anything at all in the cell it will
return “false”
The parameter for this function is
the cell reference for the first data
cell in the column to be checked
Microsoft Excel 2010
Clearing an advanced filter
To clear the results of an advanced filter, go to the data tab on the ribbon and click on the clear button in
the sort and filter group. This will unhide all your filtered results but will not remove the filter criteria.
You do not need to clear a filter before applying new criteria – simply adjust your filter criteria and then click
the advanced button again.
If you have chosen to copy your filter results to a different location while applying the filter, your copied
results will not be cleared when you clear the filter from your main data. If you pasted your filtered data
alongside your original data, when you unhide the original, the pasted data will rearrange itself so that there
are no blank cells where there were hidden rows before.
To clear an advanced filter, click
on the clear button – your
criteria will remain in place but
your hidden cells will be shown