Can a sheet be sorted and have it ignore grouping

Brent B

I need the ability to have my sheet be able to be sorted by the users by a larger variety of parameters based on their need. (we have 20+ attributes depending on the global location, product line, etc). The sheet at its core is a list of actions/deliverables grouped into projects. We have tried grouping the project/deliverables together, but have had to shut that off. Grouping by project/deliverables is our ideal. However, currently when users go to sort on things like their name or location, the sorting only applies to the top most line item/ parent row of the group. We've already explored creating reports or dashboards, but based on the number and variety are needed, that is not sustainable. Our users simply need to be able to sort the sheet, but not lose the grouping. For now we have disabled the group and we are just sorting on the group helper column, but that also is not ideal.

Is it possibly to make the sorting feature ignore the grouping?

Isaac A.

Hi @Brent B!

I see that you're trying to sort while keeping your project/deliverable grouping intact. In Smartsheet, when using the Grouping feature in a report, sorting applies within each group, and fields used in the Group tab won’t be available in the Sort tab. Instead, you can specify the order in which groups appear.

However, from your description, it sounds like sorting may only be affecting parent rows, which usually happens when working within a sheet rather than a report. Also, keep in mind that you cannot undo a sort after it has been saved, so you’ll want to make sure that all of your rows, including parent rows in a hierarchy, are ordered the way you want before saving.

Could you share a screenshot (with any sensitive info blurred) showing how sorting is applied and how it impacts your data structure? This will help determine the best approach.

For more information, you might find these resources helpful:

• Sorting and Filtering
• Sort your report results with the report builder
• Group data to organize results in report builder

Let me know, and we’ll figure it out together!

Cheers,
Isaac.