Did you know you can sort a filter in Tableau by using the Default Properties of a field? Learn how to do this in 2 minutes!

When building a dashboard for the business and they use filters with a lot of values in it. This can be filters with text, numbers, dates, or other values in it. We will use a case to explain why and how to sort within the filter.

The business works with a dashboard and does analysis based on booking periods. A booking period, in this case, consist of a year and a month (YYYY-MM). The business uses the most recent booking periods and wants to see those periods at the top of filter. How do we make sure this is the case and how can we change this?

Follow these steps to make it happen:

  1. Right click on Booking Period
  2. Go to > Default Properties > Sort
  3. Choose the “Sort By” and “Sort Order”

Now the filter is sorted and ready to be used by the business 🎉

Want to know more about the Default Properties of a field in Tableau? Check out the resources below.

How to sort a filter

Resources