How to sort fiscal quarters

[Anonymous]

Good morning, 

So I have a calendar table which includes fiscal quarters. I have names them in the following format Q1 2017, Q2 2017... 

However, when I use them in a visual I want them to sort by year before quarter - right now is sorting it left to right Q1 2017, Q1 2018, Q2 2017.... Do I need to change the names in my table to have the year first or is there another way to do this. Thanks!

[LinLinB]

I always recommend creating combined date sort columns in Power Query, using Date.Start code.

For Mth-Year sorting, Date.StartofMonth([Date]) and THEN convert to a whole number

For Qtr-Year sorting, Date.StartofQuarter([Date]) and THEN convert to a whole number

It doesn't need to be Fiscal Year specific, that should be already built into your Fiscal Year column and FY Months and Quarters. Perfect for Independent Date Hierarchies.

[v-shex-msft]

HI @Anonymous,

I'd like to suggest you take a look at following link to know how to create a custom table to setup custom sort order based on 'sort by column' property:

Custom Sorting in Power BI

Regards,

Xiaoxin Sheng

[tarunsingla · Accepted solution]

Creating the column with Year and Quarter (like "2018 Q4") would be ideal. But if you wish to see your data in Quarter Year format, you can use the Sort By Another Column feature of Power BI. Have both YearQuarter and QuarterYear columns and then select the QuarterYear field, go to Modeling tab, under Sort By, pick YearQuarter. That will sort QuarterYear by YearQuarter now.

[AlB]

Hi @Anonymous

Not necessarily. You can create an additional column with the order in which you want the quarters shown and use the 'Sort by Column' feature. Or use one of the existing column for the ordering if you already have a valid one.

[Anonymous]

I am not sure I follow this. If I look at my calendar table it is currently sorted in the order that I would want to see but that doesn't translate to how it is presented in a visual...