When using an Excel Application Scope activity, which activity is appropriate for sorting a table directly in an .xlsx file?

The activity that is appropriate for sorting a table directly in an .xlsx file is indeed the SortTable activity. This activity is specifically designed to handle the sorting of data within an Excel table based on specified key columns and order (ascending or descending). When using the SortTable activity, you can specify which columns to sort and the sorting criteria, ensuring that the data is organized as required.

Using SortTable allows for efficient data manipulation because it directly interacts with the structured format of an Excel table, maintaining the integrity of the data and ensuring that related rows stay together. This is especially useful when dealing with large datasets where manual sorting would be impractical and time-consuming.

The other activities listed do not serve the purpose of sorting data. For instance, MergeTable is used for combining two tables into one, while FormatTable is intended for formatting the visual appearance of a table without altering its order. FilterTable, on the other hand, is designed to display only certain rows based on specified criteria, rather than sorting them. Thus, the purpose of each of these activities is distinct from the task of sorting, making SortTable the correct choice for this scenario.