In order to easily bring important records to the top of big lists, it would be handy to utilize a "Star" option from a checkbox.
Star/unstar capability can be implemented using a Text column and ASCII symbols: ★, ☆ and Custom Buttons that toggle.
However it would be nice just to integrate that into a Checkbox column and be able to click on the actual displayed ★, ☆ wherever it might show up in a view. Gmail offers a star button that I really find useful.