Here’s the database and table creation process, step by step:

1. Type the field labels in the first row.
2. Type the list data starting in the second row, entering one record of data in each row (see Figure 19-1).
   
3. Select the range that holds the list of data you entered.
4. Select Insert?Tables?Table.
5. Leave the My Table Has Headers checkbox checked in the Create Table dialog box that appears (Figure 19-2), and then click OK. Excel converts the list to a table, displaying an AutoFilter arrow at the top of each column and displaying the Table Tools, as shown in Figure 19-3.

FIGURE 19-2
Telling Excel where to find the table.

You should have only a single database or table on a worksheet. Even though it’s physically possible to have more than one, you run a risk of confusing Excel when it comes to manipulating the data or performing other operations like a mail merge. Because you can have multiple worksheets in a workbook, this requirement doesn’t pose any kind of practical problem.

If you stop after Step 2 above, you can still perform operations like sorting the list of data. However, defining the data as a table enables you to take advantage of extra data features in Excel.

FIGURE 19-3
Tools appear for the newly formatted table.

• Prosper Number of Open Listings By Day I was reading a thread on the forum and they were speculating that the recent lack of quality loans (December...
• How to identify a domain's Wordpress database Do you have many domains with shared hosting and several Wordpress databases installed? Having trouble finding which database belongs to...
• Excel How-to: A Macro to Hide Blank Rows on a Spreadsheet Today, a coworker asked me how to hide a row on his Excel spreadsheet.  This was a fairly large spreadsheet,...
• 75 Ways to Save Money Every Month Regardless of how economists refer to this economy, recession or no recession, people are hurting, financially. Unemployment, flat wages and...
• Review of the Garmin Forerunner 310 XT Having a GPS enabled training device is a good thing. Having a training device offering GPS that isn't afraid to...