A simple but practical solution would be to:-

a. Type 1 and 2 in first two rows
b. Block the above two cells
c. Double click on the small box appearing in the right hand corner in the
bottom part of the selection.

Next option would be to:-

a. Type 1 in the first row (say in A2)
b. Type the formula A2+1 in the next row (i.e. in A3)
c. Copy the cell A3
d. Block and select the remaining cells and paste

Hope it helps.

Sherin
"dp" wrote:

I receive a report with a 1 or 2 alpha code/description in col A., such as:
A SERVICE
AB SERVICE
AL FEE
AM SERVICE
B SERVICE
C SERVICE
DI FEE

I insert a column and manually type a single digit code (1 to 7) so I can
use Sort by that digit, and use Data, Subtotal.
1 A SERVICE
2 AB SERVICE
6 AL FEE
6 AM SERVICE
1 B SERVICE
2 C SERVICE
5 DI FEE

Is there a way to eliminate the manual typing of the numbers 1-7? There are
about 70 rows. I am Using excel 2003, Windows 2000 Professional

Hope I made this clear. Just learning. TIA