KQL sort defaults to descending, so ascending order requires an explicit asc modifier

DP-700 By islever Editorial Last updated

Ingest and transform streaming data

Short answer

B No. KQL sort defaults to descending, so without an explicit asc modifier the results are not ordered ascending as required.

Question

Note: This question is part of a series of questions that present the same scenario. Each question in the series contains a unique solution that might meet the stated goals. Some question sets might have more than one correct solution, while others might not have a correct solution. After you answer a question in this section, you will NOT be able to return to it. As a result, these questions will not appear in the review screen. You have a Fabric eventstream that loads data into a table named Bike_Location in a KQL database. The table contains the following columns: BikepointID - Street - Neighbourhood - No_Bikes - No_Empty_Docks - Timestamp - You need to apply transformation and filter logic to prepare the data for consumption. The solution must return data for a neighbourhood named Sands End when No_Bikes is at least 15. The results must be ordered by No_Bikes in ascending order. Solution: You use the following code segment: Does this meet the goal? - Exhibit: KQL sort defaults to descending, so ascending order requires an
  1. Yes
  2. No Correct Answer

Key Takeaways

KQL sort/order by defaults to desc; an ascending requirement is only satisfied when 'asc' is explicitly provided, which is a frequent trap in eventstream/KQL questions.

In Kusto Query Language, the default sort order is descending (high to low); to return results ordered by a column in ascending order you must specify the asc modifier explicitly. A solution that relies on the default sort therefore does not meet a requirement for ascending order.

Common mistake: Assuming KQL sorts ascending by default like SQL; KQL's default is descending, so omitting the asc modifier yields the wrong order.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

The goal requires results ordered by No_Bikes in ascending order. In KQL, the sort/order by operator defaults to descending (high to low); ascending order must be explicitly specified with the asc modifier. The proposed solution (presented as an image) did not explicitly request ascending order, so it would return data in descending order and does not meet the goal. Hence the answer is No.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A (Yes) would only be correct if the solution explicitly specified ascending order, which the documented KQL default behavior indicates it did not; KQL does not default to ascending like T-SQL.

Community Comment Notes

Community voting favors No (68 vs 32). Comments (mauriciorosa8, MuffiSan, 8d6881f) cite the KQL sort-operator doc stating the default is desc and asc must be specified. The solution code itself was provided as an image in the source item, so the determination relies on the documented default combined with community consensus.

Official Reference

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/kusto/query/sort-operator?view=microsoft-fabric

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Community Votes

B
68%
A
32%

68% of anonymous learners picked answer B. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 9 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 9

  1. benni_ale 👍 3 Answered B
    no, order by by default is desc in kql
  2. QAZdbarhate12345678 👍 2 Answered A
    The provided solution meets the goal. Analysis: Filtering Condition: The code includes filter Neighbourhood == "Sands End" and No_Bikes >= 15, which satisfies the requirement to only include rows where the neighborhood is "Sands End" and No_Bikes is at least 15. Ordering: The order by No_Bikes clause ensures that the results are sorted by No_Bikes in ascending order, meeting the stated requirement. Projection: The project BikepointID, Street, Neighbourhood, No_Bikes, No_Empty_Docks, Timestamp ensures that the necessary columns are returned. Conclusion: The solution fulfills all the requirements. Correct Answer: A. Yes.
  3. MuffiSan 👍 2 Answered B
    no. In kql desc is default for sort by: "asc sorts into ascending order, low to high. Default is desc, high to low." https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/kusto/query/sort-operator?view=microsoft-fabric
  4. mauriciorosa8 👍 2 Answered B
    The default sorting order in KQL is descending (desc); ascending (asc) must be explicitly specified when needed.
  5. Bharat 👍 2 Answered A
    the answer is yes since you don't have to specify the "asc" option. It is the default.
Show 4 more comments
  1. 568f95c 👍 2 Answered A
    They are asking for the order of No_Bikes in ascending order in this question
  2. 8d6881f 👍 1 Answered B
    no. In kql desc is default for sort/order by: "asc sorts into ascending order, low to high. Default is desc, high to low." https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/kusto/query/sort-operator?view=microsoft-fabric
  3. Tuki93 👍 3 Answered B
    default is desc in Kusto
  4. amli123 👍 2 Answered B
    default is desc

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