Ordering Matrix by Specific Column in Power BI - powerbi

Question

I am using a relatively new version of Power BI for Report Server.
I have this simplified data:
ImaginaryData =
DATATABLE (
"Fruit", STRING,
"Colour", STRING,
"Amount", INTEGER,
{
{ "Apple", "Red", 10 },
{ "Apple", "Green", 5 },
{ "Apple", "Blue", 17 },
{ "Pear", "Red", 100 },
{ "Pear", "Green", 65 },
{ "Pear", "Blue", 5 },
{ "Orange", "Red", 12 },
{ "Orange", "Green", 8 },
{ "Orange", "Blue", 38 }
} )
I then create a Matrix of the data:
I want to order this Matrix by amounts in the Blue column i.e. the Fruit Orange should be at the top of the list.
With a Table visual I hover over a column header and can then order by that column but that functionality does not appear for a Matrix.
How do I workaround this issue? [using a Table is not a solution]

Answer 1

You need to add a sortcolumn to your table, that holds the sum of the blue amounts for that particular fruit. Like this.
You cannot do this in DAX (calculated column), because then you can't sort [Fruit] by [Sort], because [Sort] is allready indirectly sorted by [Fruit].
So you need to use the Query-editor. I recreated your table in an excel-workbook to import it. Then I used the following M script
let
SortColour = "Blue",
Source = Excel.Workbook(File.Contents("C:\Users\XXXXX\Documents\ImaginaryData.xlsx"), null, true),
ImaginaryData_Table = Source{[Item="ImaginaryData",Kind="Table"]}[Data],
#"Changed Type" = Table.TransformColumnTypes(ImaginaryData_Table,{{"Fruit", type text}, {"Colour", type text}, {"Amount", Int64.Type}}),
JoinTable = Table.SelectRows(Table.Group(#"Changed Type", {"Fruit", "Colour"}, {{"Count", each List.Sum([Amount]), Int64.Type}}), each ([Colour] = SortColour)),
#"Merged Queries" = Table.NestedJoin(#"Changed Type",{"Fruit"},JoinTable,{"Fruit"},"SortTable",JoinKind.LeftOuter),
#"Expanded SortTable" = Table.ExpandTableColumn(#"Merged Queries", "SortTable", {"Count"}, {"Sort"})
in
#"Expanded SortTable"
After loading this query, you can sort [Fruit] by [Sort] in the Data view (Sort by Column on the Modeling tab). Then recreate the matrix visual and sort the Fruit Column descending by clicking the triangle in the visual.
When you add row { Pear / Blue / 50 } to the table in excel and refresh in PowerBI, the matrix changes to this: