CREATE TABLE [dbo].[friends](
	[id] [int] IDENTITY(1,1) NOT NULL,
	[firstname] [varchar](50) NOT NULL,
	[lastname] [varchar](50) NOT NULL,
	[created] [datetime] NOT NULL,
 CONSTRAINT [PK_friends] PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED 
(
	[id] ASC
)WITH (PAD_INDEX  = OFF, STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE  = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS  = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS  = ON) ON [PRIMARY]
) ON [PRIMARY]
 

 
ALTER TABLE [dbo].[friends] ADD  CONSTRAINT [DF_friends_created]  DEFAULT (getdate()) FOR [created]
 

 
CREATE NONCLUSTERED INDEX [ix_friends] ON [dbo].[friends] 
(
	[firstname] ASC,
	[lastname] ASC,
	[created] ASC
)WITH (PAD_INDEX  = OFF, STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE  = OFF, SORT_IN_TEMPDB = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, DROP_EXISTING = OFF, ONLINE = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS  = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS  = ON) ON [PRIMARY]
 
 

 
INSERT INTO friends(firstname, lastname, created) VALUES ('Julie', 'Truter', getdate() - 10)
INSERT INTO friends(firstname, lastname, created) VALUES ('Eugene', 'Stander', getdate() - 50)
INSERT INTO friends(firstname, lastname, created) VALUES ('Pam', 'Nizar', getdate() - 120)
INSERT INTO friends(firstname, lastname, created) VALUES ('Alexander', 'Mehlhorn', getdate() - 4)
INSERT INTO friends(firstname, lastname, created) VALUES ('Roland', 'Cooper', getdate() - 10)
INSERT INTO friends(firstname, lastname, created) VALUES ('Loren', 'Stevens', getdate() -2)
INSERT INTO friends(firstname, lastname, created) VALUES ('Edward', 'Anderson', getdate() - 5)
INSERT INTO friends(firstname, lastname, created) VALUES ('Wayne', 'Kleynhans', getdate() - 13)
 
 

 
CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[sortFriends]
 	@sort AS VARCHAR(20)
AS
BEGIN
	SELECT id, firstname, lastname, created
	FROM friends
	ORDER BY
	CASE @sort
		WHEN 'firstname' THEN firstname
		WHEN 'lastname' THEN lastname
		ELSE NULL
	END ASC,
	CASE @sort
		WHEN 'created' THEN created
		ELSE NULL
	END ASC,
	CASE @sort
		WHEN 'firstname DESC' THEN firstname
		WHEN 'lastname DESC' THEN lastname
		ELSE NULL
	END DESC,
	CASE @sort
		WHEN 'created DESC' THEN created
		ELSE NULL
	END DESC
END
 

 
<asp:GridView ID="gvFriends" runat="server" DataSourceID="obsFriends" AllowSorting="true"
	AutoGenerateColumns="false" OnRowCreated="gvFriends_RowCreated">
	<Columns>
		<asp:BoundField DataField="firstname" HeaderText="Firstname" SortExpression="firstname" />
		<asp:BoundField DataField="lastname" HeaderText="Lastname" SortExpression="lastname" />
		<asp:BoundField DataField="created" HeaderText="Created" SortExpression="created"
			DataFormatString="{0:d}" />
	</Columns>
</asp:GridView>
<asp:ObjectDataSource ID="obsFriends" runat="server" SelectMethod="sortFriends" TypeName="friends"
	SortParameterName="sort"></asp:ObjectDataSource>
 
 

 
 
[DataObject()]
public class friends
{
    [DataObjectMethod(DataObjectMethodType.Select)]
    public static DataTable sortFriends(String sort)
    {
        using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["Default"].ConnectionString))
        {
            using (SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand("sortFriends", connection))
            {
                command.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
                command.Parameters.AddWithValue("@sort", sort);
                using (SqlDataAdapter adapter = new SqlDataAdapter(command))
                {
                    DataTable dt = new DataTable();
                    adapter.Fill(dt);
                    return dt;
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
 
 

 
if (e.Row.RowType == DataControlRowType.Header)
{
    List<LinkButton> linkButtons = (from headerCells in e.Row.Cells.OfType<DataControlFieldHeaderCell>()
                                    let linkButton = (headerCells.HasControls()) ? headerCells.Controls[0] as LinkButton
                                                                                : null
                                    where linkButton != null
                                        && ((GridView)sender).SortExpression == linkButton.CommandArgument
                                    select linkButton).ToList<LinkButton>();
 
    foreach (LinkButton linkButton in linkButtons)
    {
        Image image = new Image();
        image.ImageUrl = String.Concat("~/images/",
                                (((GridView)sender).SortDirection == SortDirection.Ascending ? "asc" : "desc"),
                                ".gif");
        linkButton.Controls.Add(new LiteralControl(String.Concat(linkButton.Text, " ")));
        linkButton.Controls.Add(image);
    }
}