Final answer:
The statement that you need to sort data by the grouping variable(s) to create an accumulating total is false. Sorting makes the manual process clearer but is not required for accumulation, especially with modern database or programming tools.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "To create an accumulating total for a group, you first have to sort the data by the grouping variable(s)" is generally false. While sorting data by the grouping variable(s) can make it more straightforward to calculate a running total, it is not a requirement for the accumulation process itself. Accumulating totals can be generated through various methods that do not necessitate sorting, such as using a database query with aggregation functions or programming algorithms designed to track totals on the fly.
Sorting data may help to visually organize it and make the accumulation process more transparent to someone performing the calculations manually. However, in the context of software, the order of data may not impact the calculation of accumulating totals if the software is designed to handle unsorted inputs.