Grouping data on a date‑and‑time column
When you group data on a date‑and‑time column, you have an additional option to group the data by a specific time interval, which is the typical option. You can organize a shipping report, for example, showing shipment data by month or by quarter, rather than by individual date.
Figure 7‑3 shows three reports that contain the same data.
Figure 7‑3 Comparing reports with grouped and ungrouped data
The report on the left displays data that has not been grouped. The second report groups shipment dates by month. The third report groups shipment dates using individual date values.
How to group date‑and‑time data
1 Select and right‑click the column that contains the date‑and‑time data. Choose GroupAdd Group.
2 In Group Detail, select one of the group options. If you opt to group by interval:
*Select an interval type, such as weeks, months, or quarters, from the drop‑down list.
*Type a number to indicate the grouping for the selected interval type. For example, if you selected Weeks, type 2 to group data in two‑week periods.
Figure 7‑4 shows grouping the Shipped Date column by month.
Figure 7‑4 Grouping by shipping date
Grouping on multiple columns
When you group data on multiple columns, consider the order of precedence before you create the groups. To group customer data by state, then by city, create the groups in that order.
Changing the grouping order
After you create groups, you can change their order to provide a new perspective on the report data. Evaluate the effect of changing the grouping order, so that the organization of columns remains logical.
How to change the grouping order
1 Select and right‑click a column. Choose ColumnReorder Columns. Reorder Columns, as shown in Figure 7‑5, shows the columns in the order in which the report currently displays the data.
Figure 7‑5 Reordering grouped columns
2 In Reorder Columns, select the grouped column from Available Columns. Use the up or down arrow buttons to move the column up or down the list. Choose OK.