# Term aggregation ordering within a pivot transform
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/term-aggregation-ordering-within-a-pivot-transform/351754
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Tags:** transforms, aggregations
**Created:** [January 24, 2024, 9:14pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/term-aggregation-ordering-within-a-pivot-transform/351754 "2024-01-24T21:14:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@nicole.oresme](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/nicole.oresme)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2024, 9:14pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/term-aggregation-ordering-within-a-pivot-transform/351754/1 "2024-01-24T21:14:03Z")
I'm running a pivot transform in which I have a terms aggregation that I'm trying to order, roughly:
```auto
"items": {
"terms": { "field": "item_id", "order": { "value": "desc" } },
"aggregations": {
"value": { "sum": { "field": "value_a" } }
}
```
```
}
```
When I run this aggregation in a normal query within a terms aggregation that's the equivalent of the pivot, it works fine.
When I run it inside the pivot transform, there is no apparent ordering to the results.
What gives? What am I doing wrong?
---
### Author:  [@Melissa\_Alvarez](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Melissa_Alvarez)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/term-aggregation-ordering-within-a-pivot-transform/351754/2 "2024-01-24T21:31:55Z")
Hi! Are you trying to order by document count per term or by term value?
Would you be up for sharing the entire transform config? Thanks!
---
### Author:  [@nicole.oresme](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/nicole.oresme)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2024, 9:43pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/term-aggregation-ordering-within-a-pivot-transform/351754/3 "2024-01-24T21:43:33Z")
I'm trying to order the item aggregation by descending value rather than count
there's not much to the whole transform - the relevant portions are (in transform form, which produces unordered results):
```auto
{
"source": { "index": ["..."] },
"pivot": {
"group_by": { "group_id": { "terms": { "field": "group_id" } } },
"aggregations": {
"items": {
"terms": { "field": "item_id", "order": { "value": "desc" },
"aggregations": {
"value": { "sum": { "field": "item_value" } }
}
}
}
}
}
```
in aggregation form (which produces ordered results):
```auto
{
"aggregations": {
"groups": {
"terms": { "field": "group_id" },
"aggregations": {
"items": {
"terms": { "field": "item_id", "order": { "value": "desc" } },
"aggregations": {
"value": { "sum": { "field": "item_value" } }
}
}
}
}
}
}
```
---
### Author:  [@przemekwitek](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/przemekwitek)
#### Post date: [January 26, 2024, 4:14pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/term-aggregation-ordering-within-a-pivot-transform/351754/4 "2024-01-26T16:14:02Z")
First of all, it seems you need to use `"_key"` rather than `"value"` inside `"order"` stanza.
At least that's what the [documentation](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/search-aggregations-bucket-terms-aggregation.html#_ordering_by_the_term_value) for `terms` is saying.
After I replaced `"value"` with `"_key"` I was indeed able to reproduce the issue, i.e.: `pivot` did not sort the terms in descending order whereas `_search` request with aggregations did.
I'll try to debug the code after the weekend.
Thanks for reporting!
---
### Author:  [@przemekwitek](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/przemekwitek)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 9:12am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/term-aggregation-ordering-within-a-pivot-transform/351754/5 "2024-01-29T09:12:38Z")
I was able to reproduce and debug the problem.
Created GH issue: [[Transform] Terms ordering specified via `"order"` parameter is ignored. · Issue #104847 · elastic/elasticsearch · GitHub](https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/104847)
Once again, thanks for reporting!
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2024, 9:13am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/term-aggregation-ordering-within-a-pivot-transform/351754/6 "2024-02-26T09:13:15Z")
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