Sorting & Filtering

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Overview

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Sorting Data

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Basic Sorting

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Single Column Sort

1. First click: Sort ascending (A-Z, 0-9, oldest-newest)
2. Second click: Sort descending (Z-A, 9-0, newest-oldest)
3. Third click: Remove sort (return to original order)

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Sort Indicators

• ▲: Ascending sort
• ▼: Descending sort
• No arrow: No sort applied

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Multi-Column Sorting

1. Click first column header
2. Hold Ctrl and click additional columns
3. Sort priority shown by numbers (1, 2, 3…)
4. Drag columns in sort panel to reorder priority

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Sort Priority

• Primary sort: Most important ordering
• Secondary sort: Applied within primary groups
• Tertiary sort: Applied within secondary groups

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Sort Types by Data Type

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Text Sorting

• Ascending: A-Z alphabetical
• Descending: Z-A reverse alphabetical
• Case sensitivity: Configurable (default: case-insensitive)
• Natural sorting: Numbers in text sorted numerically

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Numeric Sorting

• Ascending: Smallest to largest
• Descending: Largest to smallest
• NULL handling: NULLs first or last (configurable)
• Scientific notation: Handled correctly

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Date Sorting

• Ascending: Oldest to newest
• Descending: Newest to oldest
• Time component: Included in sort order
• Time zones: Respected in sorting

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Custom Sort Options

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Sort Settings

{
  "koala.results.sorting.nullsFirst": true,
  "koala.results.sorting.caseSensitive": false,
  "koala.results.sorting.naturalSort": true,
  "koala.results.sorting.maxColumns": 5
}

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Sort Menu

• Sort A-Z / Z-A
• Custom sort
• Clear sort
• Sort options

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Filtering Data

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Quick Filter

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Text Filter

1. Type text to search across all visible columns
2. Results immediately update as you type
3. Case-insensitive by default
4. Searches all text-based columns

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Filter Operators

=value          Exact match
!=value         Not equal
>value          Greater than
>=value         Greater than or equal
<value          Less than
<=value         Less than or equal
*value*         Contains (wildcards)
value*          Starts with
*value          Ends with

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Column Filters

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Filter by Column

1. Shows unique values in that column
2. Check/uncheck values to include/exclude
3. Use search box to find specific values
4. Apply multiple selections

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Text Column Filters

• Equals: Exact match
• Contains: Partial match
• Starts with: Prefix match
• Ends with: Suffix match
• Regular expression: Pattern matching
• Is empty: Empty string
• Is not empty: Has content
• Is null: NULL values
• Is not null: Non-NULL values

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Numeric Column Filters

• Equals: Exact value
• Not equals: Exclude value
• Greater than: > value
• Greater than or equal: >= value
• Less than: < value
• Less than or equal: <= value
• Between: Range of values
• Top N: Highest N values
• Bottom N: Lowest N values

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Date Column Filters

• Equals: Specific date
• Before: Earlier than date
• After: Later than date
• Between: Date range
• Last N days: Recent period
• This week/month/year: Current period
• Custom range: Flexible date picker

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Advanced Filtering

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Multiple Filters

1. Each column filter is independent
2. Results show rows matching ALL filters (AND logic)
3. Filter summary shows active filters
4. Clear individual or all filters

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Filter Expressions

-- Filter by expression
department_id IN (10, 20, 30) 
AND salary > 50000 
AND hire_date > '2020-01-01'

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Saved Filters

1. Apply desired filters
2. Click “Save Filter”
3. Name the filter configuration
4. Reuse with one click

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Filter Panel

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Filter Manager

• Click filter icon in toolbar
• Press Ctrl+Shift+F
• Shows all active filters
• Modify or remove filters

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Filter Information

• Active filters: Currently applied filters
• Affected rows: Count of matching rows
• Filter logic: How filters combine
• Performance: Filter execution time

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Combined Sorting and Filtering

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Workflow

1. Filter first: Reduce data to relevant subset
2. Then sort: Order the filtered results
3. Analyze: Focus on specific patterns
4. Export: Save the filtered and sorted view

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Performance Optimization

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Efficient Filtering

1. Filter early in the query when possible
2. Use indexed columns for filtering
3. Apply most selective filters first
4. Combine filters in SQL for better performance

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Sorting Performance

1. Sort by indexed columns when possible
2. Limit result set before sorting
3. Use database sorting (ORDER BY) for large datasets
4. Consider composite indexes for multi-column sorts

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Visual Indicators

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Active Filters

• Column headers: Filter icon shows when filtered
• Status bar: Shows “Filtered: X of Y rows”
• Filter panel: Lists all active filters
• Row striping: Maintains readability

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Sort Indicators

• Arrow icons: Show sort direction
• Numbers: Show sort priority for multi-column
• Column highlighting: Sorted columns highlighted
• Status bar: Shows current sort configuration

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Keyboard Shortcuts

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Sorting Shortcuts

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Filtering Shortcuts

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Common Use Cases

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Data Analysis

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Find Top Performers

1. Filter: department_id = 'SALES'
2. Sort: commission_pct DESC
3. Result: Top sales performers by commission

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Identify Recent Changes

1. Filter: last_update_date > '2024-01-01'
2. Sort: last_update_date DESC
3. Result: Most recently updated records

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Range Analysis

1. Filter: salary BETWEEN 50000 AND 100000
2. Sort: salary ASC
3. Result: Salary distribution in range

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Quality Assurance

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Find Data Issues

1. Filter: email NOT LIKE '%@%'
2. Result: Invalid email addresses

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Null Value Detection

1. Filter: important_field IS NULL
2. Result: Records missing critical data

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Common Filter Types

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Text Filters

• Contains: Search for text within values
• Equals: Exact match
• Starts with: Values beginning with text
• Ends with: Values ending with text

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Numeric Filters

• Equals: Exact numeric value
• Greater than: Values above threshold
• Less than: Values below threshold
• Between: Values within range

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Date Filters

• Equals: Specific date
• Before: Earlier than date
• After: Later than date
• Between: Date range

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Troubleshooting

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Performance Issues

1. Check result set size
2. Consider database-side filtering (WHERE clause)
3. Reduce number of columns
4. Use simpler filter expressions

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Memory Issues

1. Apply filters before sorting
2. Use database sorting when possible
3. Limit visible columns
4. Consider exporting filtered results

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Filter Not Working

1. Check data types
2. Verify null value handling
3. Test with simpler expressions
4. Clear and reapply filters

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Best Practices

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Performance

1. Filter first, then sort
2. Use SQL WHERE clauses for large datasets
3. Be specific with filter criteria

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Data Analysis

1. Start with broad filters, then narrow down
2. Combine sorting and filtering for better insights
3. Export filtered results for further analysis

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Next Steps