Trouble with Autofilter-- novice user needs help please!

[g0g0]

7-7-14

I run Excel 2007 with Windows 7.

I have an Excel spreadsheet listing all withdrawal transactions from a bank account-- including checks, credit card charges and online payments. From this "master" spreadsheet I would like to be able to separate these three types of withdrawals into three separate spreadsheets. The second cell in every row of the master spreadsheet of several hundred rows mentions "check" or "card" or "online pmt" and I have no trouble filtering these three kinds of transactions out, using the Autofilter feature. It works perfectly to produce a spreadsheet showing only one kind of each of these three transactions.

THEN I'M STUCK-- I can't find a way to copy the filtered data and paste it into a new spreadsheet so that it can be used as can data in any other Excel spreadsheet. Every time I try to copy and paste a display of filtered data from the master spreadsheet to a new blank spreadsheet, I get an IMAGE of all the filtered data-- an IMAGE but not actual data that one can manipulate, make calculations with, apply formulae to, etc. If one tries to treat this image containing the filtered data as if it were a genuine spreadsheet, one quickly learns one has created not a spreadsheet as one hoped but instead merely a picture of the filtered spreadsheet. Trying to select, copy, paste or delete "cells" in this image is impossible, I gather because cells as such do not exist in this image. The "data" do not exist-- just a replica of the data.

I don't know how well I've managed to explain my problem but I can't believe I'm the only person who has experienced it. Of what value is the Autofilter feature if one cannot copy filtered data, paste it elsewhere and manipulate it independently of the original spreadsheet? Somewhere there must be a solution to this problem. I just have not found it yet. My thanks in advance to anyone who can advise me on this.

g0g0

[RudiS]

Hi gogo,

Welcome to the forum

That is not how the Autofilter works. It sounds like you are copying with the camera feature in Excel?
How are you copying the data? Which ribbon button or shortcut keys are you using?

Normally to filter data and transfer it you can:

1. Filter the table using Autofilter so only the records meeting the criteria show.
2. Select the data and use the standard copy button (or press CTRL+C)
3. Switch to the new blank sheet
4. Press the standard Paste button, (or press CTRL+V)

The data that pastes should be only the records that reflected the filter, as normal cells and data...not as a picture...

Please confirm your process you follow....

TX

[g0g0]

7-17-14

Rudi S.:

1. I never thanked you for your immediate response to my question of 7-7-14. Almost before I received your reply I discovered what I was doing wrong: I was copying the selected database (a sub-population of the larger database) and then launching Excel from scratch and trying to paste into THAT. When instead I found the option for "New Worksheet" I was able to paste my selection into the new empty worksheet with no problem. Thanks so much.

2. Second question: How do I command Excel to enter a certain entry into a cell in a column neighboring another column whenever a certain value or item appears in the second column? To be clearer--Suppose I have a column of names like Smith, Jones, Brown, etc. And next to it I would like the number 5000.00 to appear anytime the name Smith appears, and the number 4000,00 to appear anytime the name Jones appears, etc. Or instead of numeric data, a certain piece of text data, like "Smith Account:Salary" anytime the name Smith appears, and so on? There must be a way to do this. If you prefer I not ask you directly this way, tell me so and I will post the question at the forum formally.

Also, after I received your post and my problem was solved, am I supposed to enter a comment to that effect, like "Solved"? Where do I do that?

Thanks so much for your help.

[RudiS]

Hi,

Glad you got it resolved.

About those names or values question.
See the sample workbook I uploaded. It uses VLOOKUP to collect known data.
If you are not happy with this solution, you should post it as a new post so some of the Formula guru's can assist with something more concise

To mark a thread solved do the following:

To mark your thread solved do the following:
New Method
-Go to the top of the first post
-Select Thread Tools
-Select Mark thread as Solved

Old Method
- Go to the first post
- Click edit
- Click Advance
- Just below the word "Title:" you will see a dropdown with the word No prefix.
- Change to Solve
- Click Save