Sort Data in Visualizations

You can use sorting to order the data in your visualization. To configure sorting, click the sorting icon on the filter bar:

Filter bar in Analytical Designer with the Sort button highlighted on the right, next to the filter button.

To sort the data, you must slice your data with at least one attribute.

Sorting is available for:

  • bar charts
  • column charts
  • area charts
  • combo charts
  • bullet charts
  • pie charts
  • donut charts
  • heatmaps

You can sort data:

  • Alphabetically
  • Numerically
  • Chronologically

Alphabetical Sorting

You can sort the data alphabetically from A to Z, or vice versa. The data is sorted using the attribute values.

Horizontal bar chart showing the number of checks for different menu categories. A red arrow points to the left axis listing the menu categories in reverse alphabetical order. The sort dialog above shows that Z to A sorting is selected.

Numerical Sorting

You can sort the data numerically from the smallest number to the largest, or vice versa. The data is sorted using the metric values.

If the visualization contains multiple metrics, select the metric you want to use for sorting

If you select Total, the data is sorted by the sum of all metric values.

Horizontal bar chart showing the number of checks for different cities. The sort dialog shows that the data is sorted numerically by the metric Average number of dessert checks, from smallest to largest.

Chronological Sorting

If you add a date attribute, you can sort your data chronologically from the oldest to the newest, or vice versa. The data is sorted using the date attribute values.

Horizontal bar chart showing the number of checks for each month. A red arrow highlights the left axis where the months are ordered chronologically from January to December. The sort dialog above shows that the oldest to newest sorting is selected.

Mixed Sorting

If you slice your data by multiple attributes, you can use different type of sorting for each attribute.

In the following example, the Average number of checks with desserts and Average number of checks with entrees are sliced by Date (Year) and Location City.

  • For Date (Year), the data is sorted numerically from smallest to largest by the sum of all metrics
  • For Location City, the data is sorted alphabetically.
Horizontal bar chart showing average checks for entrées and desserts by city and year. A red bracket highlights the years sorted numerically from smallest to largest by the sum of all metrics, so the years are not in chronological order. A purple bracket highlights cities sorted alphabetically within each year. The sort dialog above shows mixed sorting applied by year and city.
Use Smart Functions