Header sort in Matrix visual

[maverickf17]

Hi All, does anyone know how to sort the column header is the below matrix.
It should be like 100%, 70%, 50% and then 40%.

The Columns what I have used:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would appreciate if anyone can do the visual sorting and attach a pbix file.

Thank you,
Maverick

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @maverickf17,

We haven’t heard back from you in a while regarding your issue. let us know if your issue has been resolved or if you still require support.

Thank you.

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @maverickf17,

Checking in to see if your issue has been resolved. let us know if you still need any assistance.

Thank you.

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @maverickf17,

Have you had a chance to review the solution we shared by @alish_b @MasonMA @DataNinja777 ? If the issue persists, feel free to reply so we can help further

Thank you.

[maverickf17]

Hi @DataNinja777 ,
I tried this approach.
It's not working.
Pease find the link of the pbix file.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/swkvtqqi41nyab4y8ids6/Cash-Burn-Final-Arjun-IRL-291-6-DESKTOP-OFTK3GM... 
---------------------------------
Please refer page number : Main_15-09-2025.

Thanks,
Maverick

[alish_b]

Hi @maverickf17 ,

As @MasonMA  mentioned, there will be a circular dependency issue when you try to sort the Burn_Bucket column by SortOrder field (SortOrder depends on the Burn_Bucket for SWITCH operation and Burn_Bucket depends on SortOrder for sorting). A quick way to overcome the circular dependency is to create a copy of Burn_Bucket, sort this new field by SortOrder and use this field in the visual instead. As PowerBI will treat this as a separate entity, you will not get the circular dependency issue.

 

Well this being said, this is a quick one-off solution and only to be used if you do not want an extra table in your data model. The method described by @MasonMA is a more professional way to tackle this scenario and it will add an extra table in your data model though (do use DATATABLE to create this table instead of manually entering data so that you can edit the fields and logic easily in the future).


Hope it helps!

[MasonMA · Accepted solution]

@maverickf17 

Hi, there's a circular dependency when you try to sort by Burn_Bucket by Sort Order, because in this table you have another column 'Burn Bucket' that depends on a measure [A_Actual_burn_%] which might create a loop. 

I'd suggest creating a SortOrder table manually since it is quite small and connect it to your 'A_Backend_aggregation' with one-to-many, sort by this 'Burn_Bucket' by 'SortOrder' in this new table and use Burn_Bucket from this new SortOrder table for your Matrix visual. 

   

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tBzw_T1ZIHgh30cvzzGsbPm3K_oG_dZH/view?usp=sharing

[DataNinja777]

Hi @maverickf17 ,

You can resolve the sorting issue in your Power BI matrix visual by creating a dedicated sorting column. The problem occurs because Power BI is sorting the column headers as text, where "100%" comes before "40%" alphabetically. To fix this, you need to provide a numerical column to define the correct sorting sequence.

First, you'll need to create a new calculated column in your data table using a DAX formula. This column will assign a numeric value to each of your percentage categories, which will then be used to order them correctly. Navigate to the Data view in Power BI, select the appropriate table, and create a new column with the following DAX expression. Remember to replace 'YourTable'[Percentage Category] with the actual name of your table and column.

Sort Order =
SWITCH(
    TRUE(),
    'YourTable'[Percentage Category] = "100%", 100,
    'YourTable'[Percentage Category] = "70%", 70,
    'YourTable'[Percentage Category] = "50%", 50,
    'YourTable'[Percentage Category] = "40%", 40,
    0
)

After creating this new Sort Order column, you must apply this logic to your original percentage column. While still in the Data view, select the column that contains the text percentages (e.g., "100%", "70%"). Then, go to the Column tools tab in the ribbon and click on the Sort by Column option. From the dropdown menu that appears, choose the Sort Order column you just created.

Finally, return to the Report view and adjust the sorting directly on the matrix visual. Select your matrix, click the ellipsis (...) in the top-right corner, and choose to sort by your percentage category column. To achieve the desired order of 100%, 70%, 50%, and 40%, make sure the sort direction is set to descending. This will arrange the columns in the correct numerical sequence instead of the default alphabetical one.

Best regards,