Alphabetic Limit

Use [N] to show the first N values in ascending order.

Definition Order for DIMENSION

For dimensions defined with DIMENSION syntax, this uses definition order (the order buckets are declared), not alphabetical order. This lets you control the natural ordering of categories like education levels or income brackets.

This example shows the first 5 occupations from the occupation dimension (which follows definition order: Managerial, Professional, Technical, Sales, Clerical, ...).

Interactive Example

Try It

TABLE
  ROWS occupation[5]
  COLS education * gender * income.sum
;

Dataset:samplesoccupation, education, gender, income

Try Variations

Query Breakdown

• TABLE - Declares a crosstab table statement
• ROWS occupation[5] - First 5 occupations
  • [5] - Positive number means ascending order, limit to 5
  • For DIMENSION-defined dimensions, uses definition order (not alphabetic)
  • For raw columns, uses alphabetic order (A-Z)
• COLS education * gender * income.sum - Three-level column hierarchy
• income.sum - Measure: sum of income for each cell

The sign of the number controls direction: [5] gives first N, [-5] gives last N. For dimensions defined with DIMENSION syntax, ordering follows definition order by default. To order by a computed value instead, add @aggregate like [-5@income.sum].

Related Examples

• Reverse Alphabetic Limit - Last N values alphabetically
• Top N by Value - Limit by computed value instead
• Nested Limits - Apply limits at multiple hierarchy levels