Filtering data into separate worksheet

Question

Hi all,
I think this is easy stuff but have struggled to find the answer...
I have a worksheet with various bits of information. It's a list of stock items; about 2000 lines long so far. Each line has various pieces of information including the item's category i.e. chairs/tables/lighting etc. This category is selected from a dropdown list. What I would like is for the line of information (columns a to p) to be duplicated onto another worksheet which shows only e.g. chairs.
This is a master list which I will add to over time so I'd like future items to automatically feed into the individual chairs, tables of lighting worksheets too.
Apologies if I haven't explained this well. Perhaps if I could explain it better I might be able to find the answers by searching online!
Any help much appreciated. Maybe even rewarded with cake.
Many thanks,
MeelyMac

Answer 1

Hi MeelyMac,
How about something like this?
You add an "index" column to your 'Master' table. The formula in D2, copied down is:
     =C2&COUNTIF(C$2:C2,C2)
Then you set up breakout tables for each category, with the category name in A1.
The formula in A3, copied right and down, is:
    =INDEX(Master::A,MATCH($A$1&ROW()−2,Master::$D,0))
Or to prevent the red triangles (as I've done in the Tables table wrap the formula in IFERROR, like this:
   =IFERROR(INDEX(Master::A,MATCH($A$1&ROW()−2,Master::$D,0)),"−")
Once you have one breakout table working correctly you can "clone" it as needed and enter a different category in A1.
MATCH and INDEX look and sound intimidating but they are actually pretty simple when you get used to them.  MATCH gets the number of an item in a list.  INDEX looks up the value (here in another column) based on that number.
And don't forget that in Numbers 3 it is often just as convenient to just work with filtered views of the 'Master' table as it is to go to the work of creating separate tables:
SG