What This Node Does
The Sort node arranges rows in ascending or descending order based on one or more columns. Use it to organize data for reports, find top/bottom values, or prepare data for analysis with multi-column sorting and NULL value handling. [SCREENSHOT: Sort node on canvas showing “Sorted by revenue DESC”]When to Use This Node
Use the Sort node when you need to:- Order results - Arrange data alphabetically, numerically, or chronologically
- Find top/bottom values - Identify highest sales, lowest prices, most recent dates
- Prepare for Limit - Sort before using Limit node to get “Top 10” or “Bottom 5”
- Organize reports - Present data in logical order for readability
Step-by-Step Usage Guide
1
Add Sort node to canvas
2
Connect to upstream data
3
Select column to sort by
Choose column and direction (ascending or descending)[SCREENSHOT: Sort column and direction selection]
4
Add additional sort columns for tiebreakers (optional)
Drag to reorder sort priority - top column is primary sort[SCREENSHOT: Multiple sort columns with priority]
5
Preview sorted data
Tips and Best Practices
Sort After Aggregation: Always aggregate before sorting to sort summary data, not individual rows. Aggregation → Sort is the correct pattern.
Use with Limit: For “Top N” or “Bottom N” analyses, always Sort before Limit. Sort orders data, Limit takes first N rows.
Multiple Columns for Stability: Add secondary sort columns to ensure consistent ordering when primary column has duplicates.
Date Sorting: For most recent first, use Descending. For chronological order (oldest first), use Ascending.