How to get a correct 'date sort' -- 'year' priority, not 'month'

[Steve_Ray]

I need to sort a table several different ways to create different 'views.'
One of these is by 'date,' which has a dedicated column. The date format
used is 'numeric,' i.e., e.g., 3/04, 12/07, etc.

I'm finding, however, that when I sort with that column prioritized, the
sort uses the 'month' rather than the 'year,' so the results are not correct.

How do I get WORD to use the 'year' as the main sort spec, with the 'month'
used as the secondary sort spec?

Thanks.

 

[Tom Conrad]

You didn't identify your word version.

The table sort feature allows you to specify your sort type as a date sort
(ascending/descending).

You may be getting inconsistent results because you are sorting by text or
number vice date sorting.
You may also be getting inconsistent sorting because the data in your date
columns do not use consistent formatting.

All of your dates should have the same format.

Your posting shows examples, of date entries that list only mm/dd vice
m/dd/yy or mm/dd/yyyy. If you want to sort by year then all date entries
should use a yy or yyyy.

 

[Steve_Ray]

You didn't identify your word version.

The table sort feature allows you to specify your sort type as a date sort
(ascending/descending).

Thanks for your reply. This was a 'date sort' in WORD 97 in mm/yy format
(except that leading zeros were not used; i.e., January 2000 is not entered
as 01/00 but as 1/00).

Note that the problem is not that '00' (for 2000) is sorting before '98'
(for 1998).

The sort works okay on the first few years (1998-2001) but then seems to
stop prioritizing on the 'year' and starts prioritizing instead on the
'month' once it gets past a certain number of records.

It's been a while since I've done a date sort but I don't recall having had
this problem. There are about 350 entries (i.e., rows). Could it be that
the operation is failing because it doesn't have enough free memory to
complete the sort?

 

[Steve_Ray]

Follow-up (by o.p.):

I could not solve this with any variation of 'sort' parameters, so -- since
I had to get the table sorted -- I cloned the date column and through a
series of 'find/replace' operations (using wildcards) created a second 'date'
column with only the year (4 digits -- e.g., 1999, 2003, etc.). I then used
that to get the 'sort' done.

That obviously should not have been necessary. I have been reviewing the
original sort results and they are just bizarre -- as I described them above.
The sort works correctly for February 1999 (2/99, the earliest date in the
table) through January 2001 (1/01). Then, instead of going from 1/01 to
2/01, 3/01, 4/01, etc. it goes from 1/01 to 1/02, 1/03, 1/04, etc. -- i.e.,
as previously mentioned, the 'sort' starts prioritizing on the 'month'
instead of the 'year.'

Are there documented bugs with WORD 97's 'sort' feature that might account
for this?

 

[Tom Conrad]

A belated follow-up. I have been traveling and disconnected.

I am not aware of any W-97 sorting issues, although I have experienced
bizarre sorting results in long tables. It could be a memory thing, or it
could be caused by table length.

 

[Steve_Ray]

I am not aware of any W-97 sorting issues, although I have experienced

bizarre sorting results in long tables. It could be a memory thing, or it
could be caused by table length.

Thanks for your follow-up. Under the circumstances (and since I have not
received other replies suggesting other possible explanations) I think it
must in fact be that -- i.e., "bizarre sorting results in long tables".

Given that the sort works okay on the first part of the table (i.e., the
earliest chronological records) and then seems to lose its way and from that
point on sorts incorrectly, it's hard to imagine what else it could be.