Which of the following best describes how a category column can be sorted?

• A. By the display value or the numeric value.
• B. By the display value only
• C. By the numeric value only
• D. It cannot be sorted

Answer: (A)

Sorting a category column relies on two possible sort keys: the display value (the label you see) and the numeric value (the underlying code that may define order). The best description is that you can sort by either the display value or the numeric value. This covers cases where you want the user-friendly label to drive the order, or you need a precise, predefined sequence based on the numeric code. For example, categorical levels like Low, Medium, High often have numeric codes 1, 2, 3 that ensure the intended progression even if labels don’t sort naturally. Some tools let you pick which key to sort by, offering flexibility. The other options are too restrictive: you can sort a category column, and it isn’t limited to only one of the two keys.