Sort DataTable

Sort DataTable

Type: sort-datatable  ·  Package: DataTable Activities v1.0.5  ·  Output: DataTable

Sorts a DataTable by a column and returns a new sorted table. Useful to present data in a logical order (by date, by amount), process the most urgent items first, or prepare a report.

How it works

Reorders the rows by the values of the given column, in ascending (asc, default) or descending (desc) order. It returns a new table with the same columns; the original does not change.

The order depends on the column type: a numeric or date column is sorted by value, and a text column alphabetically, case-insensitively. Note that in a text column numbers are sorted as text ("10" before "9"); if your data comes as text, first create a numeric column with Add Column (num(Total)) and sort by it. Empty cells come first in ascending order.

Required parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
table	DataTable	—	The DataTable to sort.
column	string	—	Name of the column to sort by.

Optional parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
direction	string	"asc"	Direction: asc (ascending) · desc (descending).

Output

Returns a new DataTable with the same columns and rows, sorted. A table with no rows gives a table with no rows.

Common errors

Message	Cause and fix
'table' must be a DataTable.	table does not evaluate to a DataTable.
'column' is required.	The column is missing.
Invalid 'direction' '…'. Use asc or desc.	direction has another value.
Cannot find column [….]	The column does not exist (.NET message). Check the name.

Example

Sort invoices by amount, highest first, and take the first one:

Sort DataTable   table = invoices   column = "Total"   direction = desc   → output: byAmount
Get Data Row     table = byAmount   index = 0   → output: highest
Log              message = "Highest invoice: " + str(highest["Number"])

Sorting by several columns

Sort DataTable sorts by one column. If you need several criteria (e.g. by status and, within each status, by date), use LINQ: asRows(t).OrderBy(r => str(r["Status"])).ThenBy(r => str(r["Date"])).ToList().

Related activities

• Filter DataTable — filter before sorting.
• Group By — group and summarize.