Sorting by the Last Digits in Variable Length Data

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 14, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365


Howard has a list of numbers, sometimes 6 digits, sometimes 8 digits, but the length is irrelevant as he needs to sort by the last 2 digits and then by the previous 2 digits. He tried right/middle/left types of formulas, but with having varying numbers of digits he could not make it work.

Before discussing approaches, it is important to make a few explicit assumptions about Howard's data. In this tip I'll assume that the data is in column A and that it consists of at least 4 digits. (Howard mentions lengths of 6 and 8 digits, so this shouldn't be a false assumption.) It is also assumed that the only thing in column A are values made up of digits—it doesn't contain other characters that you want ignored in your sorting.

If you wanted to use two helper columns to extract the sorting digits, then you could use the following in column B:

=RIGHT(A1,2)

The formula grabs the two right-most digits from whatever is in column A. The following could then be placed into column C:

=MID(A1, LEN(A1)-3,2)

This formula looks at the length of whatever is in A1 and uses that value as a parameter for the MID function to extract the two digits that precede the final two digits in the value.

It is important to realize that these formulas return text values, regardless of whether the values in column A are numeric or text. This is handy when either of the extracted values begin with 0; it means that instead of "5" being returned you'll see "05" or "00" instead of "0". If you want to make sure that numeric values are returned, then you'll need to wrap each formula in the VALUE function:

=VALUE(RIGHT(A1,2))
=VALUE(MID(A1, LEN(A1)-3,2))

With your "key values" in columns B and C you could then perform your sort based on those values. You could also, if desired, use only a single helper column with either of these formulas in column B:

=RIGHT(A1,2)&MID(A1, LEN(A1)-3,2)
=RIGHT(A1,2)&LEFT(RIGHT(A1,4),2)

Again, these return text strings (which are just fine for sorting), but you could convert them to numeric values by wrapping them in the VALUE function:

=VALUE(RIGHT(A1,2)&MID(A1, LEN(A1)-3,2))
=VALUE(RIGHT(A1,2)&LEFT(RIGHT(A1,4),2))

Regardless of whether you work with extracted text or a numeric value in column B, you can now sort based on the column contents.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10905) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Setting Fraction Bar Overhang Spacing in the Equation Editor

The Equation Editor is a great tool for easily creating fancy-looking equations in your document. One setting you can ...

Discover More

Vertical Lines in Word

Lines can help to organize the data on a page or make certain points clearer. Word provides several different ways you ...

Discover More

Weird Actions for Arrow Keys and Enter

If your arrow keys and the Enter key aren't working as you expect them to, the problem could have any number of causes. ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Can't Sort Imported Data

Import information from an external database, and you'll no doubt want to use Excel's simple tools to manipulate that ...

Discover More

Sorting Dates by Month

Sorting by dates is easy, and you end up with a list that is in chronological order. However, things become a bit more ...

Discover More

Sorting for a Walking Tour

Want to sort addresses by even and odd numbers? By using a formula and doing a little sorting, Excel can return the ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 8 - 2?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.