3.6. Working with Columns¶

3.6.1. Reordering and renaming columns¶

You can re-order the columns by clicking the drop-down menu at the top of the first column (labelled ‘All’), and choosing ‘Edit columns->Re-order / remove columns …’

You can then drag and drop column names to re-order the columns, or remove columns completely if they are not required.

3.6.2. Sorting data¶

You can sort data in OpenRefine by clicking on the drop-down menu for the column you want to sort on, and choosing ‘Sort’.

Once you have sorted the data, a new ‘Sort’ drop-down menu will be displayed.

Unlike in Excel, ‘Sorts’ in OpenRefine are temporary - that is, if you remove the ‘Sort’, the data will go back to its original ‘unordered’ state. The ‘Sort’ drop-down menu lets you amend the existing sort (e.g., reverse the sort order), remove existing sorts, and/or make sorts permanent.

You can sort on multiple columns at the same time by adding another sorted column (in the same way).