diff --git a/data-viewer/app/viewer/app.js b/data-viewer/app/viewer/app.js
index e09e5a2d..d4766ba0 100644
--- a/data-viewer/app/viewer/app.js
+++ b/data-viewer/app/viewer/app.js
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@
 const GET = (url) => axios.get('/-data'+url)
 const storageGet = (key, def) => localStorage.getItem('data-viewer:'+key) || def
 const storageSet = (key, val) => localStorage.setItem('data-viewer:'+key, val)
+const columnKeysFirst = (c1, c2) => {
+  if (c1.isKey  && !c2.isKey) return -1
+  if (!c1.isKey && c2.isKey) return 1
+  if (c1.isKey && c2.isKey) return c1.name.localeCompare(c2.name)
+  return 0 // retain natural order of normal columns
+}
 
 const vue = new Vue ({
 
@@ -32,6 +38,7 @@ const vue = new Vue ({
       if (vue.dataSource === 'db')  url += `?dataSource=db`
       const {data} = await GET(url)
       vue.entities = data.value
+      vue.entities.forEach(entity => entity.columns.sort(columnKeysFirst))
       const entity = vue.entity && vue.entities.find(e => e.name === vue.entity.name)
       if (entity) { // restore selection from previous fetch
         vue.columns = entity.columns
@@ -55,7 +62,15 @@ const vue = new Vue ({
       let url = `/Data?entity=${vue.entity.name}&$skip=${vue.skip}&$top=${vue.top}`
       if (vue.dataSource === 'db')  url += `&dataSource=db`
       const {data} = await GET(url)
-      vue.data = data.value.map(d => d.record.map(r => r.data))
+
+      // sort data along column order
+      const columnIndexes = {}
+      vue.columns.forEach((col, i) => columnIndexes[col.name] = i)
+      vue.data = data.value.map(d => d.record
+        .sort((r1, r2) => columnIndexes[r1.column] - columnIndexes[r2.column])
+        .map(r => r.data)
+      )
+
       const row = vue.data.find(data => vue._makeRowKey(data) === vue.rowKey)
       if (row)  vue._setRowDetails(row)
       else vue.rowDetails = {}