---
title: Using Value Order to Create More Meaningful Output
description: Using Value Order to Create More Meaningful Output
---

[Minitab Blog](https://blog.minitab.com/en/blog)

# [Using Value Order to Create More Meaningful Output](https://blog.minitab.com/en/blog/real-world-quality-improvement/using-value-order-to-create-more-meaningful-output)

 Written by [Minitab Blog Editor](https://blog.minitab.com/en/blog/author/minitab-blog-editor) | Jan 6, 2017 5:00:00 AM

When you’re working in Minitab and prepping your data for analysis, it’s common to group data into categories that imply a specific order, such as Low, Medium, High or Beginning, Middle, End.

But if the data were to appear in a different order in tables and graphs (for example, Beginning, End, Middle), the result could be confusing, and might distract from your message.

Fortunately, with Minitab’s [value order feature](http://support.minitab.com/minitab/17/topic-library/minitab-environment/data-and-data-manipulation/text-data/change-the-value-order/#what-is-value-order), you can ensure that your output appears in the correct order, resulting in graphs and tables that are much easier to understand.

## What Is Value Order?

When you use a text column to create a graph or table, the order in which [Minitab](http://www.minitab.com/products/minitab) displays the text categories is the value order. Value order can be one of the following:

- **Alphabetical order:** the values are processed alphabetically.
- **Order of occurrence in worksheet:** the value in the first row of the worksheet defines the first category, the next unique value defines the second category, and so on.
- **User-specified order:** the values are processed in the order that you specify.

## Where Value Order Can Help You

Graphs that present information in an unexpected order can be more difficult to interpret. For example, in the first bar chart below, counts of t-shirts sold by size are presented in alphabetical order (which is often the default in Minitab).

After you apply a custom value order, the bars are displayed in sequential order (XS, S, M, L, XL):

The same problem can occur with tables in the Session window. Readers must jump around in the table below to read the information in logical order:

After the correct value order has been specified, the information is much easier to follow:

 

## How to Specify Value Order in Minitab

In the worksheet, click a cell in the text column for which you want to change the value order. Choose **Editor** > **Column Properties** > **Value Order**, and select **User-specified order**.

## Summary

Controlling value order is a simple way to ensure that your results are presented clearly and professionally. Minimize confusion and avoid wasting time by making your data as easy as possible to understand!

[View full post](https://blog.minitab.com/en/blog/real-world-quality-improvement/using-value-order-to-create-more-meaningful-output)

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