8.1.8 Sorting Data in Reports

This lesson will show you how to configure the order in which data is sorted when you run a report.

Select the sort order

Once you have completed a report, you may wish to specify the order in which the data is sorted. To do this, click the double arrow icon in the row that contains the report column that you wish to sort by.

You will be presented with the options; "Ascending" , "Descending" or "Not sorted". Choosing ascending or descending order will sort the output of the report in the chosen manner, choosing "Not sorted" will exit the menu without selecting a sorting order.

Ascending order

This screenshot shows a basic report sorted in ascending order, which corresponds to A-Z in a text field or 1-10 in a numeric field.

Changing the sort order

You can change the sort order at any time by editing the report and selecting a new order the same way you chose the first.

Descending order

This screenshot shows a portion of the same report, this time sorted in descending order.

Descending order corresponds to Z-A in text fields or 10-1 in numeric fields.

Sorting by multiple columns

It is also possible to sort by multiple columns in your reports. This will apply two tiers or sorting with the top row on your list of columns taking precedence. Sorting by multiple columns can be useful when running complex reports that are likely to return large volumes of duplicated data.