Excel: how can I sum many columns with random same types of data

Question

I need to help with my problem. I need to "sum" same items with quantity in big data sheet. I have two columns like that:

column1              column2
1040 Syn Chair       220 
2050 Asyn Mek        08
1120 Black Leat.     22
1040 Syn Chair       52

And I need to sum for example all "1040 Syn Chair" to one line:

column1              column2
1040 Syn Chair       272 

BUT I need to do it with all items (one item per line with qty) :(

Thank you

Answer 1

I think what you want is called a pivot table. These are tables that "pivot" on a particular field, essentially grouping them by value. You can then do operations like sum, min, max, etc. on the groups.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/pivottable-reports-101-HA001034632.aspx

Answer 2

This is a visual aid using your example to complement dvnrrs response.