KB-1945 Unexpected sort ordering when using a!queryEntity

Symptoms

When using a!queryEntity without a sortInfo parameter specified, a seemingly arbitrary sort order is applied to the data. Specifically, the following behaviors are seen:

If no a!querySelection is present, the result set is sorted on the last column of the CDT representing the table.
If a a!querySelection is present, the result set is sorted on the first a!queryColumn value specified in the definition.

As a result of this, performance issues may be observed if the query returns a lot of data or is sorting by a text column.

Cause

This issue has been reported to the Appian Product Team. The reference number for this issue is AN-128642.

Action

Sorting by the primary key is typically the most efficient sort order. Thus, a sort parameter referencing the primary key should be set for the pagingInfo used by the queryEntity.

Affected Versions

This article applies to all versions of Appian.

Last Reviewed: May 2019