diff --git a/product/ZSQLCatalog/SQLCatalog.py b/product/ZSQLCatalog/SQLCatalog.py
index 6a4fcd0a2547d0043e08b41923c3a393fadcf9be..70a6cdd78ff09b44a7e43888e38129c6ebb772a7 100755
--- a/product/ZSQLCatalog/SQLCatalog.py
+++ b/product/ZSQLCatalog/SQLCatalog.py
@@ -1264,7 +1264,7 @@ class Catalog(Folder, Persistent, Acquisition.Implicit, ExtensionClass.Base):
             index_list = [sort_index]
           for index in index_list:
             if index.find(' ') > 0:
-              new_index.append([x.strip() for x in sort_index.split(' ')])
+              new_index.append([x.strip() for x in index.split(' ')])
             elif so is not None and len(so)==len(index_list):
               new_index.append([index,so[index_list.index(index)]])
             else: