Sorting and filtering complex data (with a pivot table)

I have a large amount of data, consisting of three columns with many rows. The first column holds the name of items, the second one defines its type and the third one the amount in stock. My goal is to create an interactive (and possibly easy to understand) pivot table that can:

1. Show only the names of the items of the proper type and/or amount in stock that the user chooses (for example if he wants to see all plumbing-type items that we have exactly 10 in stock)
2. Show the type and count next to the item name (in columns), despite that they are being at the same time filtered by the user.

The first problem is I do not know how to achieve the layout/design and the second is that some items have more than one type, for example lets say a certain item is plumbing AND electrical, I want it to show both when the user chooses plumbing and electrical.

If this cannot be done with a pivot table (or there is just an easier alternative), you are free to offer me other ideas, which I will appreciate, since I do not fancy pivot tables all that much. The main problem is that it has to be interactive and as user-friendly as possible.

Thank you!

You are right. Sorry. Should have thought of that.

The file contains example source data and to the right three examples of how it should be formatted and the result of the user defining filters.

I've included two identical files for different versions of Excel just in case.

Example.xls, Example.xlsx

P.S. Having some site trouble, I hope they are attached.

Am having problems with the site, attempting to reply and attach files a second time.

Example.xlsxExample.xls

Yes, thank you, with the exception of "electronics" it works perfectly.

Now if you could explain to me how it works?

P.S. I know VBA, I'm just not that well versed in it yet.

Ah, yes, thank you, I understood and incorporated the code for an advanced filter. But I have only one question remaining.

It pertains to the "electrical" issue. The filter works fine for filtering single type items and complex type items, but only if the filtered type is listed first. In other words if I want to filter "hardware", then all "hardware" and the "hardware/electrical" items are listed, however if I want to filter "electrical" the filter does not display "hardware/electrical".
So my question is how do can I fix that, my only idea is to tell the advanced filter function to filter by placing two wildcard ( * ) symbols on each end of the criteria, thus allowing complex-type items to be filtered. And I don't know how to do that.

Yes, that would be real easy, but I still need it to be usable by people with no excel exprience. So basically I need to know how to convert the value of the cell J5 to a string, add two "*"s at each end and feed it to AdvancedFilter's criteria need. Seeing as it requres a range as a criteria, I believe it's going to be difficult, no?

Thank you, everyone, I found the solution with the AutoFilter method.

Still, could someone explain to me the pros and cons of AutoFilter and AdvancedFilter, I've read a lot about how each method works but I don't seem to understand why shouldn't only one be used always?

And JosephP, I am intrigued by your method but I don't understand how you managed to make excel filter the data based on a true/false match criteria?

Thanks again!

Why, thank you, I will ask Google first from now on. :P

And now I can officially say that this thread is [SOLVED].