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67nmark's avatar
67nmark
Helper I
8 years ago
Solved

custom sort order across multiple columns

Hello,

 

I am using Power BI to report on survey results data. I have 10 columns with the same answer options (Yes, No, Not sure, NA). I want to set a custom sort order on all columns that use these answer options.

 

I have created a reference table with an AnswerID and AnswerText column and have created a relationship between this table and the first column with those answer options. Everything works great.

 

I start running into trouble when I try to use the same reference table on another column. I have solved the problem by copying the reference table as many times as I need it and making relationships between each reference table and the column in question.

 

So, could someone tell me if there's a recognised way to deal with this type of situation where I only need one reference table that can work across all columns?

 

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

 

Cheers,

Mark

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  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    8 years ago

    67nmark,

    In your scenario,  you can create the following sort columns  in your table.

    sort1 = RELATED(Reference[AnswerID])
    sort2 = LOOKUPVALUE(Reference[AnswerID],Reference[AnswerText],Table[Column2])
    sort3 = LOOKUPVALUE(Reference[AnswerID],Reference[AnswerText],Table[Column3])
    ……
    sort10 = LOOKUPVALUE(Reference[AnswerID],Reference[AnswerText],Table[Column10])

    Then you can sort the 10 columns by using these sort columns.

    Regards,
    Lydia

3 Replies

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    Not applicable
    8 years ago

    67nmark,

    In your scenario,  you can create the following sort columns  in your table.

    sort1 = RELATED(Reference[AnswerID])
    sort2 = LOOKUPVALUE(Reference[AnswerID],Reference[AnswerText],Table[Column2])
    sort3 = LOOKUPVALUE(Reference[AnswerID],Reference[AnswerText],Table[Column3])
    ……
    sort10 = LOOKUPVALUE(Reference[AnswerID],Reference[AnswerText],Table[Column10])

    Then you can sort the 10 columns by using these sort columns.

    Regards,
    Lydia

    • 67nmark's avatar
      67nmark
      Helper I
      8 years ago

      Thanks Lydia,

      I'm thinking it's probably easier for me to do what I've done but that's a handy answer.

      Cheers,

      Mark

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    Not applicable
    4 years ago

    I have the same issue but with a survey of 70+ questions. Creating a new sort_order column for each question is a complete waste of time. Does anyone have any new solutions to this issue?

     

    I see that this is a common issue and I am really confused as to why Microsoft doesn't simply enable manual sorting within the visual...