# Shape data with queries

> Clean up and reshape a sheet with a list of steps, such as filter, sort, remove columns and remove duplicates, that you can reorder or take back at any time.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/sheets-queries
Section: Office > PlexiiSheets
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

A query reshapes a sheet with a list of steps: keep only some rows, sort them, drop or rename columns, remove duplicates, tidy text. PlexiiSheets keeps a copy of the data as it was when you started, called the source, and runs the steps on that copy, so you can change, reorder or remove a step at any time and the sheet shows the new result straight away.

Use a query to clean up data you have imported or pasted in, such as a .csv export from another system, when you want to see and adjust each change rather than make it by hand.

## Before you start

- Queries are on every plan.
- Open a spreadsheet in PlexiiSheets, or click inside a Spreadsheet widget on a desk, and click the sheet tab that holds the data. See [PlexiiSheets overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/sheets-overview).
- A query works on the whole tab. Put the data you want to shape on a tab of its own.

## Start a query

1. Click the query button on the toolbar (**Query — shape data with refreshable transform steps**). The **Query** window opens.
2. Click **Use this sheet as the source**.

The window now shows how many columns and rows the source has, and how many the result has after the steps. There are no steps yet.

## Add steps

1. In the row at the bottom of the window, choose a step from the first list.
2. Fill in what that step needs, such as the column and a value.
3. Click **Add step**.

The step joins the end of the list and the sheet changes at once.

| Step | What it does | What you choose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Filter rows** | Keeps only the rows that match. | A column, a test (**equals**, **does not equal**, **contains**, **>**, **>=**, **<**, **<=**, **is not empty** or **is empty**) and a value. |
| **Sort** | Puts the rows in order. In ascending order, numbers come before text. | A column and **ascending** or **descending**. |
| **Remove column** | Takes a column out. | The column. |
| **Keep only column** | Keeps one column and takes out the rest. | The column. |
| **Rename column** | Gives a column a new heading. | The column and the new name. |
| **Remove duplicate rows** | Keeps the first of any rows that are exactly the same. | Nothing. |
| **Keep top N rows** | Keeps the first rows and takes out the rest. | How many. |
| **Skip first N rows** | Takes out the first rows. | How many. |
| **Use first row as headers** | Moves the first row up into the column headings. | Nothing. |
| **Trim column whitespace** | Removes spaces at the start and end of each value in a column. | The column. |
| **Change column case** | Changes a column's text to **UPPERCASE** or **lowercase**. | The column and the case. |

How the tests in **Filter rows** compare values:

- **contains** ignores capital letters, so north finds North.
- **equals** and **does not equal** compare numbers as numbers, so 5 equals 5.0. Text has to match exactly, capitals included.
- **>**, **>=**, **<** and **<=** compare numbers. Rows whose value is not a number are left out.

> **Tip:**
> If the first row of your data holds the headings, make **Use first row as headers** your first step. The headings move into the column heading boxes, so later steps list your columns by name, and the heading row is not sorted or filtered with the data.

Steps work on what is typed in the cells. For a cell with a formula, that is the formula itself rather than its result.

## Change the steps

Each step is listed in the order it runs, numbered, with a short description. Next to each one:

- **Move up** and **Move down** change the order. Order matters: keeping the top 10 rows and then sorting gives a different result from sorting first.
- **Remove step** (**×**) takes the step out.

Every change runs all the steps again on the source, so the sheet always shows the source with the current steps applied. Each change is also a step in the undo history: click **Undo** on the toolbar to step back.

To close the window, click **Close** or **×**, click outside it, or press `Esc`. The query is saved with the tab, so the next time you open the **Query** window on this tab, your source and steps are there.

## Refresh from the sheet

**Refresh from sheet** takes what is on the sheet now as the new source and runs every step on it again.

> **Note:**
> The sheet already shows the result of your steps, so a refresh applies them on top of that result. Steps such as filter, sort, trim and change case give the same answer again. Steps that remove or skip rows or columns, or use the first row as headers, take out a further row or column each time. Use **Refresh from sheet** after you have replaced the sheet's contents with fresh data laid out like the original, such as a newer export of the same report.

## Common questions

**Can I get my original data back?** Yes. Remove the steps one by one, and the sheet goes back to the source. You can also click **Undo** to step back through your changes.

**A filter on a number column keeps nothing.** Check the values: a test such as **>** compares numbers only, so values typed with words or symbols are left out. **Trim column whitespace** can also help when values have stray spaces.

**My heading row was sorted in with the data.** Add **Use first row as headers** and move it to the top of the list with **Move up**.

**What is the difference between a query and a filter?** A filter on the sheet hides rows while you look, and takes nothing away. A query rewrites the tab with the result of its steps. See [Sort and filter](https://plexiidesk.com/help/sheets-sort-and-filter).

**Does the query go into an exported file?** An exported .xlsx or .csv file holds the sheet as it is now, the result of the steps. The steps themselves stay in PlexiiSheets. See [Import and export Excel and CSV files](https://plexiidesk.com/help/sheets-excel-csv-import-export).

## Related tasks

- [PlexiiSheets overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/sheets-overview)
- [Sort and filter](https://plexiidesk.com/help/sheets-sort-and-filter)
- [Automate a sheet with macros](https://plexiidesk.com/help/sheets-macros)
- [Pivot tables](https://plexiidesk.com/help/sheets-pivot-tables)
- [Import and export Excel and CSV files](https://plexiidesk.com/help/sheets-excel-csv-import-export)