Grouping — Simple Tables Docs

From a flat list to an explorable view

Individual rows Group levels Open detail when needed

A group shows its value, the number of rows it contains, and the metrics you configure. Readers start with the overview, then open only the work they need to understand or act on.

Turn a worklist into a clear hierarchy

Choose the main dimension first, add further levels when they help, then decide which metric should be visible on every group row.

Enable grouping

Open macro settings, go to Display, and turn on Grouping. Eligible column headers then show a grouping control.

Choose the first level

Click Group on the column you want, such as Team or Status. The table creates an expandable section for each value, containing its related rows.

Add more levels

Group a second or third column next. Each later column nests within the preceding group—for example, Team → Priority → Status.

Add a useful summary with aggregations

Open column settings and choose a grouping aggregation for a column. Count and Count distinct are available for every column; number columns also offer Sum, Average, Minimum, and Maximum.

Grouping defines the hierarchy; the column aggregation defines the metric on each group row.

What a group row can tell you

The hierarchy and the summary are separate choices. Group by one column, then choose the one metric that answers a question for every other column.

Content	Shown in the group row	Useful for
Group value	The group name and the number of rows inside it	See immediately how much work belongs to a team, status, region, or other value.
Any column type	Count or Count distinct	Count records or compare distinct owners, customers, or categories.
Numbers	Sum, Average, Minimum, or Maximum	Compare amounts, effort, volume, or metrics per group.
Selection values	Values or Mode	See every status present or identify the most common status in a group.

Example: follow project work without losing the detail

Grouping by team and status makes progress and bottlenecks visible at a glance.

Level 1: Team: Group the table by Team first. Product, Engineering, and Support become separate expandable sections, so ownership is visible before readers inspect individual tasks.
Level 2: Status: Add Status as the second level. Each team is now divided into Open, In progress, and Done work, making bottlenecks visible without losing the team context.
Aggregation: Count: Show Count on every group row to compare workload. Add Sum to estimated hours when readers also need to understand effort, not only the number of tasks.
Result: Readers see where work is concentrated, compare teams and statuses, and open only the branch that needs investigation. The underlying rows and source data remain unchanged.