Multi-level sort
Data → Sort lets you add levels: region ascending, then revenue descending within each region. Levels apply top to bottom.
Sort by cell colour or icon as well as value, which is useful alongside conditional formatting.
Sorting one column while others stay put silently scrambles every row. Excel usually warns, and people usually click through. Convert to a Table and the problem disappears entirely.
Filtering
Ctrl+Shift+L toggles filter arrows. Beyond ticking values you get text filters (contains, begins with), number filters (top 10, above average) and date filters (this month, last quarter) that update as the date moves.
Advanced Filter handles criteria too complex for the dropdowns, and can copy results to another location rather than hiding rows.
Excel Tables
Convert a range to a Table and you get: automatic expansion when rows are added, structured references like =SUM(Sales[Revenue]) instead of =SUM(B2:B500), formulas that fill down automatically, banded formatting, and a header row that stays visible.
Most importantly, formulas and pivot tables referencing a Table pick up new rows automatically. A pivot built on A1:D500 misses row 501 forever; one built on a Table does not.
Name the table something meaningful in Table Design — Sales, not Table1.
Removing duplicates
Data → Remove Duplicates, choosing which columns define a duplicate. Selecting one column treats rows as duplicates on that column alone.
It deletes without showing you what went. Where it matters, use conditional formatting → duplicate values first to see them, or copy the sheet before running it.