JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground
HTML
<script src="http://cdn.jsdelivr.net/qtip2/2.2.1/jquery.qtip.js"></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="http://cdn.jsdelivr.net/qtip2/2.2.1/jquery.qtip.css">
<script src='http://cdn.datatables.net/1.10.5/js/jquery.dataTables.min.js'></script>
<table class='' id='Id_derekw' cellspacing="0" width="">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Col0</th>
<th>Col1</th>
<th>Col2</th>
<th>Col3</th>
<th>Col4</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href='www.1234.com'>702</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X gt 0">702 warnings</a>
</td>
<td><a id="asdf" href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X > 0">702 warnings</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' >702 warnings</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X \&\g\t\; 0">702 warnings</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href='www.1234.com'>669</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X gt 0">669 warnings</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X > 0">669 warnings</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X > 0">669 warnings</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X \&\g\t\; 0">669 warnings</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href='www.1234.com'>120</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X gt 0">120 warnings</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X > 0">120 warnings</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X > 0">120 warnings</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X \&\g\t\; 0">120 warnings</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href='www.1234.com'>682</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X gt 0">682 warnings</a>
</td>
<td><a href='www.1234.com' title="CheckRed (Err):X > 0">682...
JavaScript
$(document).ready(function() {
// 1. This works. The column sorting is correct.
// $('#Id_derekw').DataTable();
// 2. This will NOT work. The column sorting is incorrect.
// Col2 and Col3 will not sort correctly.
// - is it related to the > or > symbols
$('[title!=""]').qtip({});
$('#Id_derekw').DataTable();
// 3. This will work. The column sorting is correct.
//$('#Id_derekw').DataTable();
//$('[title!=""]').qtip({});
});