How to manually sort Breakdown values in a Power BI Waterfall chart when using Field Parameters?

[Venugopalchari]

I am facing an issue with sorting values in the Breakdown section of a Waterfall chart in Power BI.

My requirement is to manually control the sort order of the Breakdown values. However, Power BI does not allow sorting the Breakdown field directly in a Waterfall visual.

In my case:

• The Breakdown field is coming from a Field Parameter

• I am able to sort values in the Category and Y-axis sections

• But sorting is not working for the Breakdown section

Because of this, the Breakdown values always appear in the default order, and I cannot apply a custom or manual sort.

Is there any workaround or recommended approach to control or sort the Breakdown values in a Waterfall chart when the Breakdown field is driven by Field Parameters?

Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Kedar_Pande · Accepted solution]

@Venugopalchari 

You can’t manually sort Breakdown when it’s coming from a field parameter

Workaround:

Helper column + normal column (no parameter)

Create a SortOrder column for your breakdown items.

In the model, set BreakdownColumn -> Sort by column -> SortOrder.

Use that column directly in Breakdown (not via field parameter).

If this answer helped, please click Kudos or Accept as Solution.
-Kedar
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kedar-pande

[Royel · Accepted solution]

I am agreed with @Kedar_Pande 

This is a known limitation in Power BI Waterfall charts. The Breakdown section doesn't respect custom sort orders when driven by Field Parameters because:

• Field Parameters are essentially calculated tables with their own ordering logic
• The Waterfall visual's Breakdown bucket has limited sorting capabilities compared to Category or Y-axis

If you need to maintain the flexibility of Field Parameters elsewhere while having sorted Breakdowns, you might need to create a separate, dedicated column specifically for Waterfall chart breakdowns with the sort-by-column relationship configured.

Thanks 

[Kedar_Pande · Accepted solution]

@Venugopalchari 

You can’t manually sort Breakdown when it’s coming from a field parameter

Workaround:

Helper column + normal column (no parameter)

Create a SortOrder column for your breakdown items.

In the model, set BreakdownColumn -> Sort by column -> SortOrder.

Use that column directly in Breakdown (not via field parameter).

If this answer helped, please click Kudos or Accept as Solution.
-Kedar
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kedar-pande