# Sort Rows

## <img src="/files/oqF7lJ8hPvDDK60QXgSO" alt="" data-size="line"> Sort Rows

### Description <a href="#description" id="description"></a>

The Sort Rows transform sorts rows based on the fields you specify and on whether they should be sorted in ascending or descending order.

The transform optionally only pass unique records, based on the sort keys.

{% hint style="info" %}
Tip: You use can use multiple copies of the Sort Rows transform to speed up large sort operations. Make sure to add a [Sorted Merge](/data-shaper-1.21/knowing-the-data-shaper-designer/pipelines/transforms/sortedmerge.md) transform after the sort to correctly merge the streams of sorted that are generated by the various sort copies.
{% endhint %}

| Hop Engine | <sup>✓</sup> |
| ---------- | ------------ |
| Spark      | X            |
| Flink      | X            |
| Dataflow   | X            |

### Options

| Option                       | Description                                                                                                                               |
| ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Transform name               | Name of the transform, this name has to be unique in a single pipeline.                                                                   |
| Sort directory               | The directory in which the temporary files are stored in case when needed; the default is the standard temporary directory for the system |
| TMP-file prefix              | Choose an easily recognized prefix so you can identify the files when they show up in the temp directory.                                 |
| Sort size                    | The more rows you store in memory, the faster the sorting process because fewer temporary files must be used and less I/O is generated.   |
| Free memory threshold (in %) | If the sort algorithm finds that it has less available free memory than the indicated number, it will start to page data to disk.         |
| Compress TMP Files           | Compresses temporary files when they are needed to complete the sort.                                                                     |
| Only pass unique rows?       | Enable if you want to pass unique rows only to the output stream(s).                                                                      |
| Fields table                 | Specify the fields and direction (ascending/descending) to sort. You can specify whether to perform a case sensitive sort (optional)      |
| Get Fields                   | Click to retrieve a list of all fields coming in on the stream(s).                                                                        |


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.primeur.com/data-shaper-1.21/knowing-the-data-shaper-designer/pipelines/transforms/sort.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.