Forum Discussion
Unable to sort Matrix visual column values while clicking on column headers
Hi kkanukurthi ,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community Forum.
In Table visual, It is not possbile to represent Month-Year placed horizontally with categories in rows. And in Matrix visual, it is not possible to sort the values under column headers.
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Thanks and Regards
Hi kkanukurthi ,
Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.
To sort the matrix columns (Month-Year) correctly (even with your measure), follow these steps:
Step 1: Add a numeric or date field to Calendar
Ensure your Calendar table has a numeric sort column, like YearMonthCode or an actual Date.
Example:
Month-Year Start of Month YearMonthCode
Mar 2025 01-Mar-2025 202503
Apr 2025 01-Apr-2025 202504
Step 2: Set Sorting in Data View
In the Calendar table: Click on the Month-Year column (the one you use in Columns). Go to Column tools → Sort by Column → choose YearMonthCode. This ensures the visual knows how to sort the columns properly, even if you're showing a measure in the values.
In Matrix visuals, column header sorting works only when:
The column is a text or date field from the data model. The Values section doesn't contain a complex or custom measure that affects sorting.
In your scenario:
The measure Date_Format_Sign is text-based (icons + spacing). It's used in the Values, so Power BI can't use it for sorting columns. The column field (Calendar[Month-Year]) is likely a text field, not a sortable date or number. Hence, click-to-sort on column headers doesn't work in this setup.
If you find this post helpful, please mark it as an "Accept as Solution" and consider giving a KUDOS. Feel free to reach out if you need further assistance.
Thanks and Regards
Hi v-dineshya , Thanks for the reply. the solution above provided is for sorting column headers, not for values under columns. So you mean to say we cant sort values ascending or decending under column headers. Can you please tell me alternative approach so that i need sorting of values under same matrix visual. please show and tell with pbix file if possible the same expected output.
- Rows: "Category" column from the Orders table (A,B,C,D,E etc).
- Values: A measure that Picks icon and Day values from the Ship Date column from Orders table.
- Columns: A field from a Calender table that contains Months and Years as text column sorted by yearmonth code(formatted as "mmm yyyy", e.g., Apr 2025, Mar 2025)
Expected Output: Ability to sort values either in Ascending or descending when we click on column headers
Thanks. Please help!
Hi kkanukurthi ,
Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.
In Matrix visual, it is not possible to sort the values under column headers. You can acheive your requirement in Table visual. Please replace Matrix visual with Table visual.
Please refer the sample pbix file.
If you find this post helpful, please mark it as an "Accept as Solution" and consider giving a KUDOS. Feel free to reach out if you need further assistance.
Thanks and RegardsHi v-dineshya ,
In Table visual we cant achieve the same output. I have tried with Table visual but not able to split the measure values horizontally every cell. I need Month-Year placed horizontally with categories in rows and ship date values with little triangle icon same as below.
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi kkanukurthi ,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community Forum.
In Table visual, It is not possbile to represent Month-Year placed horizontally with categories in rows. And in Matrix visual, it is not possible to sort the values under column headers.
If you find this post helpful, please mark it as an "Accept as Solution" and consider giving a KUDOS. Feel free to reach out if you need further assistance.
Thanks and Regards