diff --git a/badges/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/badges.php b/badges/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/badges.php
index 707f77351cb..379d4cbc646 100644
--- a/badges/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/badges.php
+++ b/badges/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/badges.php
@@ -122,4 +122,17 @@ class badges extends datasource {
             'badge:name',
         ];
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Return the default sorting that will be added to the report once it is created
+     *
+     * @return array|int[]
+     */
+    public function get_default_column_sorting(): array {
+        return [
+            'badge:name' => SORT_ASC,
+            'user:fullname' => SORT_ASC,
+            'badge_issued:issued' => SORT_ASC,
+        ];
+    }
 }
diff --git a/cohort/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/cohorts.php b/cohort/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/cohorts.php
index 6e49015cd48..de0f11c4200 100644
--- a/cohort/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/cohorts.php
+++ b/cohort/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/cohorts.php
@@ -81,8 +81,8 @@ class cohorts extends datasource {
      */
     public function get_default_columns(): array {
         return [
-            'cohort:context',
             'cohort:name',
+            'cohort:context',
             'cohort:idnumber',
             'cohort:description',
         ];
@@ -105,4 +105,15 @@ class cohorts extends datasource {
     public function get_default_conditions(): array {
         return [];
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Return the default sorting that will be added to the report once it is created
+     *
+     * @return array|int[]
+     */
+    public function get_default_column_sorting(): array {
+        return [
+            'cohort:name' => SORT_ASC,
+        ];
+    }
 }
diff --git a/cohort/tests/reportbuilder/datasource/cohorts_test.php b/cohort/tests/reportbuilder/datasource/cohorts_test.php
index e0a92720a12..ce5765d50aa 100644
--- a/cohort/tests/reportbuilder/datasource/cohorts_test.php
+++ b/cohort/tests/reportbuilder/datasource/cohorts_test.php
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ class cohorts_test extends core_reportbuilder_testcase {
 
         $contentrow = array_values(reset($content));
         $this->assertEquals([
-            'System', // Context.
             'Legends', // Name.
+            'System', // Context.
             'C101', // ID number.
             '<div class="text_to_html">Cohort for the legends</div>', // Description.
             'Lionel Richards', // User.
diff --git a/course/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/courses.php b/course/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/courses.php
index 7a8e169577b..881f546c6c4 100644
--- a/course/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/courses.php
+++ b/course/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/courses.php
@@ -111,4 +111,17 @@ class courses extends datasource {
     public function get_default_conditions(): array {
         return ['course_category:name'];
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Return the default sorting that will be added to the report once it is created
+     *
+     * @return array|int[]
+     */
+    public function get_default_column_sorting(): array {
+        return [
+            'course_category:name' => SORT_ASC,
+            'course:shortname' => SORT_ASC,
+            'course:fullname' => SORT_ASC,
+        ];
+    }
 }
diff --git a/reportbuilder/classes/datasource.php b/reportbuilder/classes/datasource.php
index bb8cfc51fc8..d726f9985b1 100644
--- a/reportbuilder/classes/datasource.php
+++ b/reportbuilder/classes/datasource.php
@@ -83,9 +83,27 @@ abstract class datasource extends base {
      */
     public function add_default_columns(): void {
         $reportid = $this->get_report_persistent()->get('id');
+
+        // Retrieve default column sorting, and track index of both sorted/non-sorted columns.
         $columnidentifiers = $this->get_default_columns();
+        $defaultcolumnsorting = array_intersect_key($this->get_default_column_sorting(),
+            array_fill_keys($columnidentifiers, 1));
+        $columnnonsortingindex = count($defaultcolumnsorting) + 1;
+
         foreach ($columnidentifiers as $uniqueidentifier) {
-            report::add_report_column($reportid, $uniqueidentifier);
+            $column = report::add_report_column($reportid, $uniqueidentifier);
+
+            // After adding the column, toggle sorting according to defaults provided by the datasource.
+            $sortorder = array_search($uniqueidentifier, array_keys($defaultcolumnsorting));
+            if ($sortorder !== false) {
+                $column->set_many([
+                    'sortenabled' => true,
+                    'sortdirection' => $defaultcolumnsorting[$uniqueidentifier],
+                    'sortorder' => $sortorder + 1,
+                ])->update();
+            } else if (!empty($defaultcolumnsorting)) {
+                $column->set('sortorder', $columnnonsortingindex++)->update();
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -96,6 +114,15 @@ abstract class datasource extends base {
      */
     abstract public function get_default_columns(): array;
 
+    /**
+     * Return the default sorting that will be added to the report once it is created
+     *
+     * @return int[] array [column identifier => SORT_ASC/SORT_DESC]
+     */
+    public function get_default_column_sorting(): array {
+        return [];
+    }
+
     /**
      * Return all configured report columns
      *
diff --git a/reportbuilder/tests/behat/customreports.feature b/reportbuilder/tests/behat/customreports.feature
index fd5d83f60a5..0be0833214f 100644
--- a/reportbuilder/tests/behat/customreports.feature
+++ b/reportbuilder/tests/behat/customreports.feature
@@ -23,6 +23,11 @@ Feature: Manage custom reports
     And I should see "Full name" in the "reportbuilder-table" "table"
     And I should see "Username" in the "reportbuilder-table" "table"
     And I should see "Email address" in the "reportbuilder-table" "table"
+    # Confirm we see the default sorting in the report
+    And "Admin User" "table_row" should appear before "User 2" "table_row"
+    And I click on "Show/hide 'Sorting'" "button"
+    And "Disable sorting for column 'Full name'" "checkbox" should exist in the "#settingssorting" "css_element"
+    And I click on "Show/hide 'Sorting'" "button"
     # Confirm we only see not suspended users in the report.
     And I should see "Admin User" in the "reportbuilder-table" "table"
     And I should see "User 2" in the "reportbuilder-table" "table"
diff --git a/reportbuilder/upgrade.txt b/reportbuilder/upgrade.txt
index e9e3c8ce688..35c38c6fb7f 100644
--- a/reportbuilder/upgrade.txt
+++ b/reportbuilder/upgrade.txt
@@ -56,3 +56,5 @@ Information provided here is intended especially for developers.
   - `datasource_stress_test_columns_aggregation`
   - `datasource_stress_test_conditions`
 * The test helper method `get_custom_report_content()` now accepts a list of filter values and applies them to the report
+* New method `get_default_column_sorting` in base datasource class, to be overridden by sources that wish to
+  define default columns sort order upon report creation.
diff --git a/user/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/users.php b/user/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/users.php
index 5e1aeb5daa4..e8784fe0dd3 100644
--- a/user/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/users.php
+++ b/user/classes/reportbuilder/datasource/users.php
@@ -123,17 +123,13 @@ class users extends datasource {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Set default columns and the sortorder
+     * Return the default sorting that will be added to the report once it is created
+     *
+     * @return array|int[]
      */
-    public function add_default_columns(): void {
-        parent::add_default_columns();
-
-        $persistent = $this->get_report_persistent();
-        $report = manager::get_report_from_persistent($persistent);
-        foreach ($report->get_active_columns() as $column) {
-            if ($column->get_unique_identifier() === 'user:fullname') {
-                report::toggle_report_column_sorting($persistent->get('id'), $column->get_persistent()->get('id'), true);
-            }
-        }
+    public function get_default_column_sorting(): array {
+        return [
+            'user:fullname' => SORT_ASC,
+        ];
     }
 }
diff --git a/user/tests/reportbuilder/datasource/users_test.php b/user/tests/reportbuilder/datasource/users_test.php
index b05ff552888..363c7bda5ac 100644
--- a/user/tests/reportbuilder/datasource/users_test.php
+++ b/user/tests/reportbuilder/datasource/users_test.php
@@ -44,24 +44,22 @@ class users_test extends core_reportbuilder_testcase {
     public function test_datasource_default(): void {
         $this->resetAfterTest();
 
-        $user = $this->getDataGenerator()->create_user(['email' => 'test@example.com']);
+        $user2 = $this->getDataGenerator()->create_user(['firstname' => 'Charles']);
+        $user3 = $this->getDataGenerator()->create_user(['firstname' => 'Brian']);
 
         /** @var core_reportbuilder_generator $generator */
         $generator = $this->getDataGenerator()->get_plugin_generator('core_reportbuilder');
         $report = $generator->create_report(['name' => 'Users', 'source' => users::class, 'default' => 1]);
 
         $content = $this->get_custom_report_content($report->get('id'));
-        $this->assertCount(2, $content);
+        $this->assertCount(3, $content);
 
-        // Consistent order by email, just in case.
-        core_collator::asort_array_of_arrays_by_key($content, 'c2_email');
-        $content = array_values($content);
-
-        // Default columns are fullname, username, email.
-        [$adminrow, $userrow] = array_map('array_values', $content);
+        // Default columns are fullname, username, email. Results are sorted by the fullname.
+        [$adminrow, $userrow1, $userrow2] = array_map('array_values', $content);
 
         $this->assertEquals(['Admin User', 'admin', 'admin@example.com'], $adminrow);
-        $this->assertEquals([fullname($user), $user->username, $user->email], $userrow);
+        $this->assertEquals([fullname($user3), $user3->username, $user3->email], $userrow1);
+        $this->assertEquals([fullname($user2), $user2->username, $user2->email], $userrow2);
     }
 
     /**