Reversing Row order in Excel
In many cases we face challenges in reversing row order in Excel. There are two simple approaches for doing this. One is to add an extra column with serial numbers and then sort on that column in descending order. This works perfect for small amount of data.
For big data it is best to use Microsoft Power Query for Excel Add-in. It works great with Microsoft Excel 2010 and Microsoft Excel 2013.
Simple steps to perform the action:
- Convert your existing Data to Excel Table. To know more on Excel Table, you can refer to the article Working with Excel Table.
- Select the created Table and click the From Table under Power Query Tab as shown in the below image.
- The Power Query window will open. Select the Reverse Rows under the Transform Tab.
Benefit of Power Query?
It works on a smaller sample of data and then applies the transformation when you choose Save and Load option. This is much faster than getting all the data and then trying to sort it which is the first method.
Why is this required?
Usually required with logs where the first transactions or rows are at the bottom. So the data is received in reverse chronological order. Twitter feeds, Timeline Updates, Live blogs – all follow this pattern.
This method works independent of the time-stamp column. What is wrong with timestamp? It may be in different time formats, some rows may have same timestamp and some rows may have no timestamp at all.