Skip to main content
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Compete to become Power BI Data Viz World Champion! First round ends August 18th. Get started.

Reply
manoj_0911
Post Patron
Post Patron

Setting Default Sorting by Date/Time in All Charts and Tables

Hello Power BI Community,

 

I have a requirement to ensure that all charts and tables in my reports default to sorting by the date or time field in ascending order. I want this behavior to apply consistently across both overview and detail reports.

 

I've attached a sample report for reference.

 

1. How can I set the default sorting for all visuals to follow this rule?
2. Is there a way to ensure this setting is retained when publishing or sharing the report?

 

Thank you for your assistance!

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Anonymous
Not applicable

Hi,@manoj_0911 .I am glad to help you.
Very unfortunate that I can't access the data link you provided, it looks like this when I try to open it:

vjtianmsft_0-1727163772642.png

So if you are able to share the pbix file and associated screenshots of the data to the forums through other means, such as OneDrive, this could help solve your problem.
Since you can't see your case data, here are some halfway practices for sorting multiple Visuals and tables consistently in Power BI Desktop.
For your questions:
1. How can I set the default sorting for all visuals to follow this rule?
If you need to sort multiple visuals that are created based on the same table, you need to create a sorting rule for this report (via Power Query to create a sorting sequence based on the actual sorting requirements).
like this.
My raw test data:

vjtianmsft_1-1727163796827.png

I can set a sorting rule for it

vjtianmsft_2-1727163842707.png

The default state will be sorted in ascending order based on the date of the X-axis. Now artificially change it to sort by Sales.
Note the change in format to Categorical

vjtianmsft_3-1727163869360.png

suggestion2:
Create a custom sorting column (based on actual sorting needs) and set the table's data to be sorted by that column.

Like this.

Creates an index column (you can also sort the table in Power Query)

vjtianmsft_5-1727163908886.png

vjtianmsft_6-1727163928193.png

The ordering of all previous visual's created based on this table changed automatically.

vjtianmsft_7-1727163949827.png

We hope you find the links below helpful.
URL:

Sort one column by another column in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Change how a chart is sorted in a report - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

I hope my suggestions give you good ideas, if you have any more questions, please clarify in a follow-up reply.
Best Regards,
Carson Jian,
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

View solution in original post

2 REPLIES 2
manoj_0911
Post Patron
Post Patron

Thank you so much for your reply, let me try you methods and I'll let you know what i got.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Hi,@manoj_0911 .I am glad to help you.
Very unfortunate that I can't access the data link you provided, it looks like this when I try to open it:

vjtianmsft_0-1727163772642.png

So if you are able to share the pbix file and associated screenshots of the data to the forums through other means, such as OneDrive, this could help solve your problem.
Since you can't see your case data, here are some halfway practices for sorting multiple Visuals and tables consistently in Power BI Desktop.
For your questions:
1. How can I set the default sorting for all visuals to follow this rule?
If you need to sort multiple visuals that are created based on the same table, you need to create a sorting rule for this report (via Power Query to create a sorting sequence based on the actual sorting requirements).
like this.
My raw test data:

vjtianmsft_1-1727163796827.png

I can set a sorting rule for it

vjtianmsft_2-1727163842707.png

The default state will be sorted in ascending order based on the date of the X-axis. Now artificially change it to sort by Sales.
Note the change in format to Categorical

vjtianmsft_3-1727163869360.png

suggestion2:
Create a custom sorting column (based on actual sorting needs) and set the table's data to be sorted by that column.

Like this.

Creates an index column (you can also sort the table in Power Query)

vjtianmsft_5-1727163908886.png

vjtianmsft_6-1727163928193.png

The ordering of all previous visual's created based on this table changed automatically.

vjtianmsft_7-1727163949827.png

We hope you find the links below helpful.
URL:

Sort one column by another column in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Change how a chart is sorted in a report - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

I hope my suggestions give you good ideas, if you have any more questions, please clarify in a follow-up reply.
Best Regards,
Carson Jian,
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

Helpful resources

Announcements
August Power BI Update Carousel

Power BI Monthly Update - August 2025

Check out the August 2025 Power BI update to learn about new features.

August 2025 community update carousel

Fabric Community Update - August 2025

Find out what's new and trending in the Fabric community.

Top Solution Authors