ArgSort / Manipulation Layer

Return indices that would sort a column, similar to NumPy's argsort() or R's order(). Instead of actually sorting the data, it returns a column of integer indices indicating the sorted order.

Mathematical definition: For input array x of length n, argsort returns array i where: $\forall j \in [1, n - 1] : x_{i_{j}} \leq x_{i_{j + 1}}$ Or for descending order: $\forall j \in [1, n - 1] : x_{i_{j}} \geq x_{i_{j + 1}}$ Where $i_{j}$ represents the index at position j in the result.

Example: Input x = [3, 1, 4, 2] Output i = [1, 3, 0, 2] because: $x_{i_{1}} = x_{1} = 1$ $x_{i_{2}} = x_{3} = 2$ $x_{i_{3}} = x_{0} = 3$ $x_{i_{4}} = x_{2} = 4$

This operation is particularly useful for:

Indirect sorting and ranking
Creating custom sort orders
Tracking original positions after sorting
Mapping between sorted and unsorted data
Implementing stable sorting algorithms

Example applications:

Competition rankings (while preserving original entry numbers)
Student grade ordering (maintaining student IDs)
Time series event sequencing
Priority queue implementation
Cross-reference between sorted and raw data

The returned indices can be used to reorder this or other columns, enabling complex sorting operations while maintaining data relationships.

Table

Select

column

The column to determine sort order from. Can contain any sortable type (numeric, string, datetime, etc.). The values in this column define the ordering, but aren't modified - instead, their sorted positions are returned.

Descending

bool

false

Controls sort direction:

false (default): Ascending order (1,2,3 or A,B,C)
true: Descending order (3,2,1 or C,B,A)

Common uses:

Ascending for natural ordering (timestamps, IDs)
Descending for rankings (scores, priorities)

NullsLast

bool

false

Determines null value placement in the sort order:

false (default): Nulls first (null,1,2,3)
true: Nulls last (1,2,3,null)

Important for:

Missing data handling
Incomplete record prioritization
Data quality sorting

MaintainOrder

bool

false

Controls stability of the sort:

false (default): May reorder equal elements
true: Maintains relative order of equal elements (stable sort)

Critical for:

Multi-pass sorting
Preserving secondary ordering
Maintaining data history
Reproducible results

AsColumn

name

Name for the new column. If not provided, the system generates a unique name. If AsColumn matches an existing column, the existing column is replaced. The name should follow valid column naming conventions.