Sort, drill and compare data

While you read a report you can look closer at its data: sort a visual, drill into a value, read a comparison, click through a funnel, break a value down in a Key tree and load more rows. Everything on this page is yours while you read: it changes your view only, never the report for other people. To build or edit a report, see Build a report.

Sort a visual

• Open the tile's Sort by menu and pick a field: the first pick sorts ascending, and an arrow beside the field shows the direction in use. Pick the same field again to reverse the order.
• A Table or Matrix sorts from its grid: click a column header once for ascending, a second time for descending, and a third time to remove the sort. See Table visual and Matrix visual.
• The order goes to the query, so the visual runs again and a Table returns to its first page.
• A sort is personal while you read: it is kept in this browser for about 30 days and never changes what others see. See Row limits and paging.
• To drop your own sort, choose Reset to default in the Sort by menu. The report footer's Reset, whose tooltip reads Reset to the author's saved view, clears every personal view change at once.
• A few types take no sort order at all: KPI, Cards, Slicer group, Key tree and custom visuals; the catalogue is on Visuals.

Drill into a value

• A Bar, Line or Combo chart drills when more than one field sits on its axis. Turn on the chart's drill control, whose tooltip reads Turn on drill mode, and click a category to break it down one level.
• The breadcrumb above the chart walks back: the All chip leaves the drill, and a chip for a level you came through returns to it.
• A drill is yours while you read: it changes nothing for other people, and the position you leave a chart drilled in is kept in this browser for about five days.
• A Matrix drills from its own toolbar, with controls for rows and columns; see Matrix visual. The drill flow itself is on Read a report.

Compare two scopes

• A comparison is switched on, and its sides named, by whoever edits the report; see Turn Compare on and name the sides. It is offered on Bar, Combo, Line, Pie, Donut, Funnel, Key tree, Table, Matrix and KPI visuals.
• A comparison reads as up to four outputs: the two sides (First and Second by default), Diff and Diff %. Diff subtracts the second side from the first; Diff % divides that difference by the second side and stays empty when the second side is zero. Dates show their difference in days, date and time values in seconds, and text shows the two sides only. See Compare mode.
• Compare does not line the two sides up by time for you: both sides are read along the axis the chart groups by, so put a field both sides share on the axis. When no row carries both sides, the tile says First and Second do not overlap on this axis; pick a comparable field or turn Compare off (your side names stand in for First and Second).
• A Legend field takes the slot a comparison needs: a legend pauses an existing comparison until the field is removed, and the pane explains it.

Click through a funnel

• A funnel's stages fall by value with the conversion between them: hover a stage to read its Value, Of previous and Of first, and the footer carries the overall conversion. See Funnel visual.
• Click a stage to select it for the rest of the page; hold Ctrl (Windows and Linux) or Cmd (macOS) while clicking to add more stages, and click a selected stage again to clear it. See Cross-filtering and selections and Filters, slicers and interactions.

Break a value down in a Key tree

• A Key tree, also called the decomposition tree, breaks one value down level by level. Expand a member with its + and pick the field to break it down by, or let High value or Low value pick one for you. See Key tree.
• When a level holds more members than it loaded, a button such as Load 10 more fetches the next batch.
• The tree draws real members only: there is no catch-all "Others" node, and everything you have not opened yet stays one expansion away.
• The path you open is remembered for you, per visual, for about five days.

See more of the data

• Charts that load in windows offer Load more with a count such as Loaded 2,400 of 12,000 rows; the matrix words the same action as Load more records. When a tile can load no more, the button gives way to Row limit reached, and an export still carries the full result. See Row limits and paging and Export reports and data.
• A legend that holds more values than the chart can draw is capped, with a badge such as Showing first 67 of 200 series; its tooltip suggests narrowing the field with a filter. See Chart states and rendering rules.
• The Limit pick in a tile's footer sets how many rows one page holds in your view; the size the report itself saves, which printed pages, picture exports and subscriptions use, sits under General > Limits. See Chart limits.

Questions, answered

Can I sort or drill a report I can only read?

Yes. Sorting, drilling, clicking funnel stages, expanding a Key tree and loading more rows are reading controls: they need no edit access and change your view only. Reading a comparison needs nothing extra either; switching one on belongs to whoever edits the report.

How do I reverse or clear a sort I set?

Pick the same field again in the Sort by menu to reverse the order; on a Table or Matrix, a third click on the sorted column's header removes it. Reset to default in the Sort by menu drops your sort alone, and the report footer's Reset clears every personal view change at once.

If I sort or drill a visual, does everyone else see it?

No. While you read, a sort or drill stays with you in this browser and changes nothing for other people; each reader keeps their own view. When you edit the report, a sort writes the visual's saved order instead, which becomes the default everyone opens it in. See Edit a report.

Does Compare line my two periods up for me?

No. Compare reads both sides along the axis the chart groups by and does not match them by time on its own; put a field both sides share on the axis. When no row carries both sides, the tile says the sides do not overlap and suggests a comparable field.

Does clicking a funnel stage filter the rest of the page?

Yes. The stage becomes a selection for the page, like a click on any other mark; Ctrl or Cmd adds stages, and clicking a selected stage again clears it. See Cross-filtering and selections.

Why is there no "Others" node in my tree?

The tree draws real members only, so nothing is hidden behind a catch-all Others node. Each expansion fetches its next batch, with a button such as Load 10 more while more members remain.

Why do the drill controls look different on a matrix?

A Matrix drills from its own toolbar: Drill on switches between rows and columns, Drill down and Drill up move the level, and Click to drill arms clicks on members, with the path you came through beside the toolbar. A Bar, Line or Combo chart drills from a control on the chart and steps back through breadcrumb chips. See Matrix visual and Read a report.