Data View column order change

[CahabaData]

Data view: I made a couple of calculated columns.  They were added to the right, in the order column.

I then realized that a couple original columns (originally on the left) should be modeled as currency (they were just whole numbers).

This has moved those 2 columns to the far right, to the right of the calculated columns.

I see no way to return them to their original position, or to rearrange column order at all in Data View.....based on searching Q&A.  But given there is a new release every month am wondering if this is still true?

[SamuelAB]

VOTE HERE TO RESOLVE:

https://ideas.fabric.microsoft.com/ideas/idea/?ideaid=a272113a-0f44-41ac-a402-bf1066984cda&page=7

[seline122]

Not sure if it helps, but what I usually do is, I click on "enter Data" (manual data entry). I copy & past the heathers in the order I want to have it and then close manual data entry. This creates a new table with the correct column order I can use as a "template". 

I then just append the other table (with incorrect order) with the this new table (template). Just ensure that you append the incorrect order table to the correct one.

It is not as straight forward as one would like to have it, but for me it works.

[Anonymous]

@CahabaData @Sean @Alirezam @CodySydney 

Use the function 'SELECTCOLUMNS' to create a copy of the original table and reorder the columns in it.

This is how you use it:

SELECTCOLUMNS(<OriginalTableName>, "<Column1NewName>", <Column1OriginalName>, "<Column2NewName>", <Column2OriginalName> ............)

[androo235]

Your "this is how you use it" explanation is too brief. I presume, though you don't say that this is a non-destructive technique. Is it? Also, after it has been used what do you have? Do you have a new table containing all the columns and formulae that were in the original, that's what I'd want, or a table with the results of any formulae/calculations/lookups in the orginal table but, now, no formulae? Do you now have two tables where there was one? Do you then delete the original? Hide the original? You beg a lot of questions. Also, where does one enter this code? In the PQ layer?

[Anonymous]

No answer yet to a function which should be easily solved by developers. The possibility of rearranging columns in the dataview helps tremendously in the development of solutions!!!

[ripstaurVA]

It is unbelievable, if not unexpected. Microsoft has a long tradition of putting stuff out on the street before it's ready. Users have been complaining since the late '80s that paying customers have to be beta testers. A feature like this should have been a no-brainer for developers, and there is no excuse for its sitting in the ideas (bugs) queue for more than a day or two. What is the point of this exercise, if no action is ever taken by MS on these ideas? 

[Zyg_D]

We need a solution... Select and drag column woud do it...

[danielgergely]

I found a sollution. It is quite wierd, but it works.

Remove columns in Power Query view. save and apply changes. Then go back to power Query view, delete the removed Columns Steps in the desired order, and then your columns in Data view will be reordered. 

Data view shows the last changed column last. That is the basic concept behind this trick.

Check out this link for more details:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/54354205/trying-to-reorder-columns-in-data-view-in-power-bi

[MikeBar15]

I was typing this out and realized you had posted the same thing. I upvoted and will put my reply underneath so it can get more traction.

This is a rather silly solution, but it did work. It may be a bit more cumbersome if you have a wide range of columns.

My table had five columns. My column three moved to the end and became my new number five. Therefore, my old four and five became my new three and four. I thought to myself. What if I just delete those columns from the table and go back to my editor and remove that last step that removes them from the query steps. Well, that worked. Now all columns, three, four, and five, are back to where they should be.

[Anonymous]

Hi Guys,

It is extremely stupid way, but it is working - i found it by accident:

1. In edit query view remove the column, then save changes. You will see that in data view that column was removed as well.
2. Now again in edit query view remove from applied steps the action that removed the column. Save it again.
3. You will see that removed previously column was added to the end of the table.
4. This way you can arrange your columns to have it the way you want it in data view.

Hope it helped.

[CodySydney]

Haha! Good lateral thinking 🙂  I have just learned to live with it.  The Power BI team keeps introducing brilliant new features so I can't complain much about the odd annoyance.

[Ale]

Not implemented yet? Almost 2019 and I still can't reorder my columns in Data View.

[NorthernScott]

We're at 2020 now and still now action on this. What up MS?

[CodySydney]

And now it is 2019 and I am still trying to associate values on one side of my data table to the other rather than having them nice and close which would make contextual sense.

[rblackford]

Why is this marked as "Solved"? There is clearly no solution, just a reply indicating that they've posted this as an "idea".

[Anonymous]

It still is.

[Sean · Accepted solution]

I created this Idea - Aug 24, 2015

https://ideas.powerbi.com/forums/265200-power-bi-ideas/suggestions/9467625-moving-rearranging-calcul...

Still waiting...

[StefanB]

I just found out a work-around that is possible since the introduction of the Power BI Project (TMDL) format:

1. Make sure the report is saved as .PBIP format.

2. Make sure the report is closed in Power BI Desktop.

3. Look for the <tabelname>.tmdl file in the project folder you want to change and make the changes via any text editor by moving the corresponding column definition text portion. Make sure the indentation is not effected, since it may corrupt the report.

4. Delete the cache file "cache.abf". 
5. Reopen the report in Power BI Desktop. And check the results.

Hope this helps. Cheers. 

[jonathan6401]

This is really annoying. I changed my headers to try to force Power Bi to display my fields in the same order as in the source file iand all it accomplished was to keep related columns together. But Q45 is at the top and... you get the idea. Total chaos. This adds a lot of unnecessary work to the simple task of assembling visuals from a table with a lot of columns and it seems to be something that could be fixed by just not changing the order of columns from the source (or at least making it an option)! 

[Alirezam]

And this is April 2021 still unsolved...I really don't think the feedback system in Power Bi works!