Search & Select Data

Applying Search Criteria

• Single Criterion: Define a target value for one column (e.g., finding all items with a price over $100$).
• Multiple Criteria: Combine conditions across different columns (e.g., finding items in 'Electronics' AND with 'Stock' $> 0$).
• Operator Usage: Use the specific syntax ($=, <, >, <=, >=, <>$) to define the relationship between the cell value and the threshold.

Utilizing Wildcards

• Asterisk (*): Use this to represent any number of characters. For instance, searching for *ing will find 'running', 'walking', and 'singing'.
• Question Mark (?): Use this to represent exactly one character. Searching for h?t will find 'hat' and 'hot', but not 'heat'.

Sorting Data

• Ascending vs Descending: Arrange data from lowest to highest ($A$ to $Z$, $0$ to $9$) or highest to lowest ($Z$ to $A$, $9$ to $0$).
• Multi-Level Sorting: Set a primary sort key and then secondary or tertiary keys to organize data that shares identical primary values.

• Search vs Sort: Searching hides data that does not meet criteria, whereas sorting merely rearranges the existing data without hiding any records.
• AND vs OR Logic: Using AND is restrictive (decreases results), while using OR is inclusive (increases results).
• Wildcard Precision: The * wildcard is 'greedy' and matches any length, whereas the ? is precise and matches exactly one character position.

• Selection Integrity: Always select all relevant columns before performing a sort operation. If you only select one column to sort in a table, the data in that column will move while the rest stays put, causing permanent data misalignment.

• Operator Syntax: In exams, remember that 'not equal to' is written as <> in many spreadsheet environments. Ensure you use the correct symbol when asked to write out search criteria.

• Wildcard Placement: Pay close attention to where the wildcard is placed. *s finds words ending in 's', while s* finds words starting with 's'. Misplacing the asterisk will yield completely different results.

• The Partial Sort Trap: A common mistake is sorting a single column without expanding the selection. This detaches the data from its original row, making the spreadsheet's information factually incorrect.

• Confusing * and ?: Students often use * when they mean ?. If you need to find 3-letter words starting with 'A', A?? is the correct search; A* would incorrectly include 'Apple' and 'Albatross'.

• Logical Over-Restriction: Using AND for criteria that are mutually exclusive (e.g., Color = Red AND Color = Blue) will return zero results, as a single cell cannot hold both values simultaneously.

• Database Queries: The principles of spreadsheet searching and selection are identical to SQL (Structured Query Language) used in professional databases. Understanding AND/OR logic here directly transfers to database management skills.

• Data Cleaning: Selection is a prerequisite for data cleaning. By searching for empty cells or outliers ($> 3$ standard deviations), users can identify and fix errors in large datasets before analysis.