Cover: original AI-generated concept illustration of ordered glass rows and a return arrow. It is not a working product screenshot.
You sort a table by last updated, open a record, then go back. I would expect the table to remember that choice. Returning the next day raises a different question: should the old sort still override the default?
My starting point would be to preserve sorting during navigation and make the active column and direction visible. For longer-term persistence, I would scope the preference to the particular table and user rather than let one screen silently affect another.
A shared link needs a clear rule too. If the link explicitly requests a sort order, I would give that choice priority over a remembered preference. If the saved column no longer exists, I would fall back to a sensible default instead of pretending the old sort still applies.
Would you remember sorting only within a session, across visits, or only when someone explicitly saves a view? What should happen when a shared link disagrees with the saved preference?