Results limits and sorting logic in Data Tables charts

For more complex analyses, understand how Amplitude Analytics decides what results to display, and what happens when you sort on a column.

Display limits

Data Tables apply display limits based on your group-by configuration. These are the maximum rows shown in the table—Amplitude still processes all your data, but displays only the top results:

• Single top-level group-by: 100 rows maximum
• Multiple top-level group-bys: 500 rows maximum
• Metrics with attribution: 20 rows maximum
• Multiple metric types with different limits: The smallest limit applies

Nested group-bys

To add multiple group-bys in a data table, start with one group-by selected in the first column. On hover, an icon with three stacked lines appears with the label "Add top-level group-by." Click the icon to add another column and a second group-by.

By default, Amplitude applies the first group-by, finds the second group-by value within each value of the first, and continues in that order for any additional group-bys you add.

Amplitude applies display limits to each group-by level separately. For example, if you group by city (top-level limit: 100 rows), then add a nested group-by for email, up to 100 emails appear for each city.

Multiple metric types

If your Data Table includes metrics with different display limits, the smallest limit applies to all metrics. For example, if you include both an event segmentation metric (normally 100 rows) and an attribution metric (20 rows), only 20 rows appear.

Sorting logic

Once you have these results, sorting applies only to them, and doesn't bring in new results.

For example, if your group-by has enough different property values that Amplitude Analytics limits the results to the top 100, Amplitude sorts these results in descending order by default. If you switch to ascending order, you don't see the "bottom 100" results. You still see the same top 100 results—only the sorting order changes.

When you use multiple metrics, sorting by a column displays data for all columns based on the values in the sorted column. For a data table with multiple segments, multiple metrics, and a period over period comparison, sorting a period-over-period column within a metric returns a dataset based on the first segment's current period.

Column ranking behavior

When you apply group-bys to your Data Table, Amplitude ranks and prunes high-cardinality results before displaying them. The ranking method depends on the metric type in the sorted column.

Single-term formulas and non-formula metrics

When you sort a column by a single-term formula metric or any non-formula metric (such as Uniques, Totals, or property aggregations), Amplitude ranks groups according to the standard group ordering logic.

For example, if you sort by Uniques, Amplitude ranks by the number of unique users. If you sort by Sum of Property Value, Amplitude ranks by the sum of property values.

Multi-term formula metrics

When you sort a column by a formula metric with multiple terms (such as PROPSUM(A) / TOTALS(B)), Amplitude uses a different ranking approach. Instead of ranking by the final calculated formula values, Amplitude ranks by the sum of unique users across all metrics in the formula.

This ranking method is less accurate because it doesn't reflect the actual formula results. The system weights each group by unique user count, calculates each metric separately, performs the formula operation, and then orders the results.

Example

You create a Data Table with the formula PROPSUM(A) / TOTALS(B) grouped by Country:

• USA: Revenue = $40,000, Events = 20,000, Users with revenue events = 1
• Canada: Revenue = $10,000, Events = 10,000, Users with revenue events = 10

When ranking to determine which countries to display, Amplitude ranks Canada higher than USA because Canada has 10 users with revenue events compared to USA's 1 user. This happens even though USA's actual formula result ($40,000 / 20,000 = $2) is higher than Canada's ($10,000 / 10,000 = $1).

After Amplitude selects which countries to display based on this user-weighted ranking, the table sorts them by their actual formula values.

Why this matters

This ranking behavior can produce unexpected results when you work with high-cardinality data (many unique group-by values). Groups with high formula values but few users may not appear in your results if other groups have more users, even when those groups have lower formula values.

This behavior also applies to Event Segmentation charts with custom formulas. For more details on formula metrics, review Custom formulas in Event Segmentation.

CSV export limits

CSV exports have different row limits than the table display. Export limits depend on the metric type:

• Event segmentation metrics without attribution: 10,000 rows
• Funnel metrics without attribution: 300 rows
• Session metrics: 100 rows
• Any metric with attribution: 20 rows
• Multiple metric types: Smallest limit applies

Amplitude prunes rows that exceed the limit—they don't appear in the exported CSV file.

Limits for Dashboard REST API queries

Results queried from the Dashboard REST API have a limit of 1000 rows for event segmentation metrics. This is the only difference from the CSV limits described in the previous section.

How time properties work in Data Tables

When you apply time properties as group-bys, all limits described above apply to each group of the property.

Examples

• If you use multiple top-level group-bys, the display limit is 500 rows. If you add another top-level group-by for the month property (a time-related property), and the date range includes three months (and three different values for the property), up to 1500 rows (500 rows × 3 property values) display in the Data Table.
• If you export a funnel metric without attribution, grouped by a non-time property, the CSV export limit is 300 rows. If you add another top-level group-by for the day property (a time property), and the date range includes seven days (and seven different values for the property), up to 2100 rows (300 rows × 7 property values) export to your CSV.
• The 10,000-row limit for event segmentation metrics without attribution doesn't apply if the final group-by in the top level group includes a time property.