Getting Started with Data Cleaning and OpenRefine

You can sort your data by a number of different elements, including text, numbers, dates, or even booleans (true / false values). You can also rearrange the order of your sorted data by "valid values," errors, and black (or null) data.

To sort by one column:

1. Choose the column you would like to sort.
2. From the drop-down beside the column header, select "Sort...." This will create a pop-up box.
3. In the pop-up box, you can choose to sort your chosen cell values by text (as well as case-sensitive text), numbers, dates, and booleans. For each option, you can choose to sort in ascending or descending order.
   • Text: a-z or z-a
   • Numbers: smallest first or largest first
   • Dates: earliest first or latest first
   • Booleans: false then true or core-views/true-false 
4. Select "OK"

Sorting FacilityName by Text (a-z)

To sort multiple columns:

1. Choose the column you would like to sort.
2. From the drop-down beside the column header, select "Sort...." This will create a pop-up box.
3. In the pop-up box, you can choose to sort your chosen cell values by text (as well as case-sensitive text), numbers, dates, and booleans. For each option, you can choose to sort in ascending or descending order.
   • Text: a-z or z-a
   • Numbers: smallest first or largest first
   • Dates: earliest first or latest first
   • Booleans: false then true or core-views/true-false 
4. Select "OK"
5. Repeat steps 1 - 4

Sorting by Facility Name (Text, a-z), Program (Text, a-z), and Date (Date, earliest first)

Just sorting a column or columns does not change your data permanently.

After sorting your data, a new drop-down will appear beside the Row and Records portion of the interface. This new drop-down is called "Sort." By selecting that drop-down, you are able to see which columns are currently sorted. In addition, you are given options to "remove sort" (reverting your data back to its original order) and to "reorder rows permanently" (making the sorting changes permanent to your dataset).