How to speed up sorting on a large table?

When a table has a very large number of records, the chosen sort may open slowly or not apply immediately. The system shows records in a safe order and offers the administrator a way to check whether sorting can be sped up.

When you need this

• A banner appears above the table: sorting by the selected field is not applied yet.
• A column header shows a hint that sorting needs preparation — click to open the check.
• An administrator wants the team to sort a large register quickly by date, status, or another field.

What to know

• Safe order — the table stays available; records are shown by a field the system can open quickly (usually the record identifier).
• Keep current sorting — continue working in the safe order without preparation.
• Check index — the administrator sees table volume and risk estimates before starting preparation.
• Speed up sorting — a confirmation dialog; preparation may take from a few seconds to several minutes on very large tables.
• If you do not have administrator rights — contact your platform administrator.

Before you start

• The records table is open under Custom Data.
• The new Custom Data workspace is enabled (if the instance still uses the legacy UI, this feature may be unavailable).
• Starting preparation requires administrator rights to save table structure.

Step-by-step

If you are not an administrator

1. Read the banner above the table — it shows which sort you chose and which sort is actually applied.
2. Click Keep current sorting if the current order works for you.
3. If you need the chosen sort specifically — contact your platform administrator.

If you are an administrator

1. When the banner appears, click Check index (or click the hint in the column header with “not applied” sorting).
2. Review the Speed up sorting dialog:
   • approximate number of records in the table;
   • fields for which speed-up will be prepared;
   • a warning if the table is large.
3. Choose one option:
   • Keep current sorting — no changes;
   • Start preparation — after confirming the checkbox “I understand that the table or service may become temporarily unavailable during preparation”.
4. While preparation runs, the banner shows Preparing an index for the requested sort. The table remains available — continue working with records.
5. After preparation completes, apply the needed Sorting again — the chosen order should apply.

Banner states

What happens next

• If you did not start preparation — the table works in safe order; filters and editing remain available.
• If preparation started and succeeded — the chosen sort should open faster.
• If preparation failed — the table stays in safe order; no data is lost.

How to verify success

• The banner disappears or shows that sorting is applied.
• Row order matches the chosen field and direction.
• Moving between pages does not cause long waits.

Related materials

• How large tables work
• Why Custom Data is stronger than other approaches
• How to sort records
• How to view table records