Hi,

I was wondering if there was any way to lock columns to prevent the data from getting mismatched after sorting more than one column? I am having a problem with a huge spreadsheet whereby each time I sort more than two columns, each data set is slightly altered and the results are changed.

For instance:

A B C
1 A 5
2 B 6
3 C 7
4 D 8

If I were to sort all three in descending, my columns get altered (my formula for this column is =sort($a$2:$a$5). For some reason the beginning of each data set in the column starts with a random result that is calculated from another part of the sheet:

A B C
7 J 9
2 B 6
3 C 7
4 D 8

The 7, J, and 9 were somehow found from some random part of the sheet (i.e. =sum($A$50:$A$54).

Why is this happening and how can I prevent this from occurring when I sort?

Thanks!