How to sort remote semantic model table ?

[jaryszek]

Hello,

I am using OneLake and want to show months ordered properly in report visual created on top of that. 

But in remote semantic model i do not have any possibility to do this:

I want to sort Month by DateKey column (integer): 

How to do this? 

Best,
Jacek

[tayloramy]

Hi @jaryszek, 

If you open the live semantic model in Power BI Desktop 

then switch to table view

you can sort the table by a column. 

This is working in August 2025 version of PBI Desktop. 

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[DataNinja777 · Accepted solution]

Hi @jaryszek ,

You cannot set the sort order from your report file because it's connected to a remote semantic model. The change must be made in the original, source semantic model itself. Your report uses a live connection to the dataset in OneLake, which means your file is only a visualization layer and cannot alter the underlying data model's structure or properties like column sorting.

To fix this, the owner of the semantic model needs to open the original Power BI Desktop (.pbix) file that was used to create and publish the model. Inside this file, they should go to the Data view, find the Dim_Date table, and click on the header of the column that contains the month names (like MonthShort or Month). This will activate the Column tools tab in the top ribbon.

From the Column tools tab, they must click the Sort by Column button. A dropdown list will appear, from which they should select the column that provides the correct numerical order. The best choice in your table is MonthNo or YearMonth, as this ensures months are always sorted chronologically. After applying this setting, the .pbix file must be saved and then published back to the Fabric workspace, overwriting the existing semantic model.

Finally, once the source model is updated, you can go back to your own report file and click the Refresh button on the Home ribbon. This will pull in the new metadata from the semantic model, including the sorting logic. Your charts and tables will then automatically display the months in the proper order (April, May, etc.) instead of alphabetically.

Best regards,

[jaryszek]

Thanks.

I am owner of semantic model (remote one) but there is no column tools tab: 

"The change must be made in the original, source semantic model itself." this is what i am trying to do.
I am connected to lakehouse with OneLake flavour but there is no sorting options in power bi desktop...

Best,
Jacek