Manual sort order in Tableau - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Manual sort order lets you arrange data in a custom sequence that fits your story. It helps when the default alphabetical or numerical order does not match how you want to show your data.

When you want to show months in calendar order instead of alphabetical order.

When you need to rank products by priority instead of sales numbers.

When you want to display survey responses in a specific order like Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree.

When your categories have a logical order that is not numeric or alphabetical.

When you want to highlight a custom sequence for storytelling in your dashboard.

Steps

Step 1: Open your Tableau workbook and go to the worksheet with the data you want to sort

- Tableau workspace

You see your data visualized in the worksheet

Step 2: Right-click the dimension field you want to sort manually

- Data pane on the left side

A context menu appears with options related to the field

Step 3: Select 'Sort...' from the context menu

- Context menu of the dimension field

The Sort dialog box opens

Step 4: In the Sort dialog, choose 'Manual' as the sort order

- Sort dialog box

The manual sort list appears where you can reorder items

Step 5: Drag and drop the items in the list to arrange them in your desired order

- Manual sort list in the Sort dialog

The items reorder visually in the list to your custom sequence

Step 6: Click OK to apply the manual sort

- Sort dialog box

The worksheet updates to show data sorted in your custom order

Before vs After

Before

The months dimension is sorted alphabetically: April, August, December, February, ...

After

The months dimension is sorted manually in calendar order: January, February, March, April, ...

Settings Reference

Sort Order

📍 Sort dialog box after right-clicking a dimension field

Choose how Tableau sorts the selected dimension

Default: Data Source Order

Manual Sort List

📍 Sort dialog box when 'Manual' is selected

Set a custom order for the dimension members

Default: Alphabetical order of items

Common Mistakes

Trying to manually sort a measure field

Manual sort only works on dimension fields, not measures

Convert the measure to a dimension or use a calculated field to create a dimension for manual sorting

Not clicking OK after setting manual sort

Changes are not applied until you confirm by clicking OK

Always click OK in the Sort dialog to apply your manual sort order

Summary

Manual sort order lets you arrange dimension members in any sequence you want.

It is useful when default sorting does not match your storytelling needs.

Remember manual sort works only on dimensions and requires confirming changes.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of using manual sort order in Tableau?

easy

A. To arrange items in a custom order that is not alphabetical or numerical

B. To automatically sort data by date

C. To filter out unwanted data points

D. To create calculated fields for sorting

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand sorting options in Tableau

   Tableau allows sorting by alphabetical, numerical, or manual order.

2. Step 2: Identify manual sort purpose

   Manual sort lets you arrange items exactly as you want, ignoring default orders.

3. Final Answer:

   To arrange items in a custom order that is not alphabetical or numerical -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Manual sort = Custom order [OK]

Hint: Manual sort = drag items to set exact order [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing manual sort with automatic alphabetical sorting
• Thinking manual sort filters data
• Assuming manual sort creates calculations

2. Which of the following is the correct way to manually sort categories in Tableau?

easy

A. Sort by the sum of sales automatically

B. Use the filter shelf to reorder items

C. Create a calculated field with numeric ranks

D. Right-click the field, select 'Sort', then drag items in the sort dialog

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate manual sort option

   Manual sort is done by right-clicking the field and choosing 'Sort'.

2. Step 2: Use drag-and-drop in sort dialog

   In the sort dialog, you drag items to reorder them manually.

3. Final Answer:

   Right-click the field, select 'Sort', then drag items in the sort dialog -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Manual sort = Right-click + drag in sort dialog [OK]

Hint: Right-click field > Sort > drag items to reorder [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to reorder items in filter shelf
• Using calculated fields instead of manual sort
• Relying on automatic sum sorting

3. Given categories: A, B, C, D. You manually sort them in this order: D, B, A, C. What will be the order shown in the view?

medium

A. A, B, C, D

B. B, A, C, D

C. D, B, A, C

D. C, A, B, D

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand manual sort order effect

   Manual sort overrides default sorting and shows items in the specified order.

2. Step 2: Apply given manual order

   The order set is D, B, A, C, so Tableau will display categories exactly in this sequence.

3. Final Answer:

   D, B, A, C -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Manual sort order = D, B, A, C [OK]

Hint: Manual sort shows exactly the order you set [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming alphabetical order overrides manual sort
• Confusing manual sort with default sorting
• Ignoring the manual order set

4. You tried to manually sort categories but the order did not change in the view. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. The field is sorted by a measure overriding manual sort

B. You forgot to apply the manual sort after dragging items

C. Manual sort only works on numeric fields

D. You need to refresh the data source

Solution

1. Step 1: Check sorting conflicts

   If a measure-based sort is applied, it overrides manual sorting.

2. Step 2: Identify override cause

   Sorting by a measure like sum or average will ignore manual order settings.

3. Final Answer:

   The field is sorted by a measure overriding manual sort -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Measure sort overrides manual sort [OK]

Hint: Check if measure sorting overrides manual sort [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming manual sort applies without removing other sorts
• Thinking manual sort only works on numbers
• Forgetting to refresh data

5. You have product categories: 'Low', 'Medium', 'High'. You want to show them in the order: 'Medium', 'High', 'Low'. How do you achieve this manual sort in Tableau?

hard

A. Sort the categories alphabetically and rename them

B. Right-click the category field, select 'Sort', choose 'Manual', then drag 'Medium' first, 'High' second, 'Low' last

C. Create a calculated field assigning numbers: Medium=1, High=2, Low=3, then sort by this field

D. Filter out 'Low' and sort remaining categories

Solution

1. Step 1: Use manual sort dialog

   Right-click the category field and select 'Sort' to open manual sort options.

2. Step 2: Drag categories in desired order

   Drag 'Medium' first, then 'High', then 'Low' to set the custom order.

3. Step 3: Apply and verify order in view

   Apply the manual sort and check that categories appear as 'Medium', 'High', 'Low'.

4. Final Answer:

   Right-click the category field, select 'Sort', choose 'Manual', then drag 'Medium' first, 'High' second, 'Low' last -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Manual sort drag order sets display order [OK]

Hint: Drag categories in manual sort dialog to set order [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying alphabetical sort instead of manual
• Using calculated fields unnecessarily
• Filtering out categories instead of sorting