sort ascending error

[Guest]

I am on a spreadsheet using 7 rows. I am inputting with the last name of
client in row B. I hit sort ascending in row B and it alphabetized the row.
Then shutdown. Woke up at 3 am to relieze this has only alphabetized this
row and now throws off the data. Example it should look like Smith, Harry
12/4 auto and after ascending it looks like ALba, Harry 12/4 auto. Do I have
to go in and manually change all the last names(row b)? PLEASE someone tell
me there is another way. I have a data base with 1,500 clients that I have
done this to. HELP PLEASE!!!!!!

 

[Guest]

When you sorted, you probably only sorted by that one column (columns go up
and down, rows across - sounds like you twisted them around in your
question?).

Excel only sorts what you have selected. Right now you're going to have to
go back and type in the Last Names to match the rest of the information to
"patch things up". Then when you want to sort all related information in the
future, select ALL of the information in all rows/columns and use Data | Sort
and it will allow you to tell it which column to sort thing by, up to 3 of
them. So you could sort by Column B (last name), and then by Column C (first
name). and get what you want.

Usually if you just select one column and there are adjacent cells with
data, Excel will send up a flag and tell you there is more data available to
be sorted and ask if you want to sort that also, at which point you normally
respond Yes in a case like this, or NO if you really want to sort just the
one group of information in the middle of lots of other stuff.

 

[Guest]

The really bad news - unless you have another copy of this somewhere, you're
probably in for a long correction session. If you closed the workbook, then
you cannot undo the sort. If it is still open and you haven't done anything
much with it since the sort error, then you could Undo changes back to the
pre-sort boo-boo.