Filters display a subset of data, based on the dashboard user's point of view. For example, a European user may only want to see EMEA region sales data, whereas the dashboard's default region is the NA region.
Note: To ensure that a filter links to the correct content in a dashboard, the content to which you are linking (data table or chart) must contain at least one parameter.
Below are general instructions for adding filters to your dashboard:
1. In the dashboard page, select Edit (the pencil icon), which will make the Objects pane appear.
2. Under General Settings, select Prompts. The Prompts pane appears on the right. No filters are listed if this is the first time you are assigning filters.
3. To display a filter toolbar to users of the dashboard, enable Show Prompt Toolbar. The prompt toolbar appears at the top of the dashboard.
4. Click the Add button, , to start adding filters. The Prompt dialog appears.
5. In the Prompt dialog box, type a display name for the control label. For example, "Region."
6. Enable Display name as control label, if you want users to see the display name in the filter toolbar.
7. Select your Control type. Control types define how your filter values are selected; forexample, in a drop down list, radio button, checkbox, and so on.
The table below contains a description of each Control type.
Control Type
Description
Drop Down
Users select a filter value from a drop-down list.
List
Users select a filter value from a scrolling list. This filter control supports multiple selections.
Radio button
Users click a radio button to select a filter value.
Checkbox
Users enable a checkbox to select a filter value. This filter control supports multiple selections.
Button
User click a button to select a filter value. This filter control supports multiple selections.
Text Field
Users enter a text string or number into a text field manually.
Date Picker
Users examine filter values based on calendar date.
Your dashboard now has a filter.
If you plan to provide hard-coded names and values for your dashboard users, or produce a dynamic filter list, continue on to the next few sections.
Creating a Static List of Options
Note: You must have a data table or chart that contains at least one parameter for your filter control to function correctly.
When you create a static list, you define a static list of options to present to the dashboard user. Each option consists of a display name that appears in a drop-down list and a value that is used to restrict the data query in the filter toolbar as shown in the example below:
Follow the instructions below to create a static list:
1. In the dashboard page, under General Settings, select Prompts. The Prompt Pane appears on the right. No filters are listed if this is the first time you are assigning filters.
2. To display a filter toolbar to users of the dashboard, enable Show Filter Toolbar. A placeholder for the filter toolbar appears at the top of the dashboard.
3. Click (Add) to add a filter. The Prompt dialog box appears.
4. Click on an icon to select your Control type. In the example above, the (Drop Down) control was used.
5. Ensure that Static List is selected under Type. Static List is the default selection.
6. Click (Add). The List Value dialog box appears.
7. In the List Valuedialog box, enter the label and a value for the first option in the list. The label is the option that is visible to dashboard users; the value is passed as the parameter's source value.
8. When you are done adding labels and values, click Close to exit the List Value dialog box.
9. In the Prompt dialog box, change the control properties (filter option) that will appear first in the filter control selecting another label from the list under Use First Value.
10. In the dashboard, select your chart or data table. Click the Parameters tab and choose another Source for the parameter from the list. That source should be the name of your filter control; in this example, Select Territory.
The original default value (Source) for the {Territory} parameter was NA but for the filter to display correctly, the Source was changed to Select Territory in the dashboard so that the filter control could drive the content in the data table.
11. Click OK to exit the Prompt dialog box. The filter options are displayed to the dashboard user when viewing the data table.
12. Click OK to exit the Filter Properties dialog box and save your dashboard.
Creating an SQL List
Note: You must have a data table or chart that contains at least one parameter for your filter control to function correctly.
When you create an SQL List, you are using an SQL query to dynamically retrieve a list of display names and corresponding values directly from a relational database as shown in the example below:
Note: You must have administrative permission to create SQL-based filters.
Follow the instructions below to create a SQL List:
1. In the dashboard page, under General Settings, select Prompts. The Filter Editor appears on the right. No filters are listed if this is the first time you are assigning filters.
2. To display a filter toolbar to users of the dashboard, enable Show FilterToolbar. A placeholder for the filter toolbar appears at the top of the dashboard.
3. Click (Add) to add a filter. The Prompt dialog box appears.
4. In the Prompt dialog box, enter a Name for your filter.
5. Enable the Display Name as Control Label, if appropriate.
6. Click the appropriate icon to select your filter control. In the example above, the Radio Button control was selected.
7. Under Type, select SQL List.
8. Select the data source (Connection) that contains the content you need to set options from the drop-down list.
9. Click (Edit) to display the Query input text box.
10. Type the SQL query in the area provided for you. If you enter a parameter query, use the following format ${parametername} and provide a default value for the parameter.
11. Click Test to ensure that your SQL query is displaying the correct values.
Note: Use a SQL query that returns two columns — one for the display name and one for the value.
12. Adjust your SQL query as needed and click OK.
13. Under Control Properties, enter a Default Label/Value for the initially selected option in your filter control.
14. Select a Label to display in the filter control; this is the user-friendly name that users will see in the dashboard.
15. Select the Value; this is the field that is passed as the parameter's source value.
16. If applicable, select your Display type from the list.
Note: Some filter controls allow you to choose the position of your filter options. If you have a long list of options, for example, a list of cities, you can change the Display type to horizontal.
17. Click OK.
The list of values appears in the filter toolbar in the dashboard.
Creating a Metadata List
Note: You must have a data table or chart that contains at least one parameter for your filter control to function correctly.
When you create a Metadata List, you are defining a query to retrieve a list of display names and corresponding values from a metadata data source provided by your administrator.
1. In the dashboard page, under General Settings, select Prompts. The Prompt Editor appears on the right. No filters are listed if this is the first time you are assigning filters.
2. To display a filter toolbar to users of the dashboard, enable Show Prompt Toolbar. A placeholder for the prompts toolbar appears at the top of the dashboard.
3. Click (Add) to add a filter. The Prompts dialog box appears.
4. In the Prompts dialog box, enter a Name for your filter.
5. Under Data Type, select Metadata List.
6. Click Select to choose the data source that contains the content you need to set options from the drop-down list and click OK. The Query Editor opens.
7. In the Query Editor, build a query to select either a single column (that represents both a name and a value), or two columns representing the display names and corresponding values.
Note: If a single column query is defined the values of that column will be used for both the display names and the values.
8. Click OK to exit the Query Editor. Your options appear under SelectedItems in the Filter Properties dialog box.
9. Under Control Properties, enter a Default Label/Value for the initially selected option in your filter control.
10. Select a Label to display in the filter control; this is the user-friendly name that users will see in the dashboard.
11. Select the Value; this is the value in the database that is associated with the Label you selected in the previous step.
12. If applicable, select your Display type from the list.
Note: Some filter controls allow you to choose the position of your filter options. If you have a long list of options, for example, a list of cities, options may not appear correctly in the user console unless you change the Display type to Horizontal.
13. Click OK.
The list of values appears in the filter toolbar in the dashboard.
Creating a Cascading Filter
A cascading filter changes based on a value a user selects. When the value in the drop down list, (Country), changes, the filter is automatically applied to the second filter, (City) thus changing its values.
The example above was created using a Metadata List for the drop down filter (Country).
A SQL List that included a parameter, ${selected_country}, in its associated query was used for the checkbox filter (City).
The Default Value for the selected_country parameter was set to USA with New York City (NYC) as the initially selected value for the checkbox filter.
To link the City filter to the Country filter, another Source for the selected_country parameter was chosen. The alternate source is the Country filter.
Once the filters are linked, users can select a country and then select a city (or cities) in the country of their choice.
Using this example, the report designer can now add a data table, chart, or other content in the dashboard that can be driven by the filter he or she just created. Suppose the designer decides to add a pie chart to the dashboard. The pie chart will display the percentage of sales per city.
In the Query Editor, the report designer creates a parameter, {City}, with an extended default value: NYC|Las Vegas. The resulting pie chart displays values for New York City and Las Vegas. In the Parameters tab associated with the pie chart, the Source value for the City parameter is changed to the City filter.
When the report is saved, users of the dashboard can see results for a country and multiple cities within that country.
Editing Filters
You can edit filters as needed. Follow the instructions below to edit filters:
1. Locate the filters pane at the top of the panes within the dashboard.
2. Located the different filters and the drop down menus next to them.
3. Select the filter you want to edit and select an alternative filter from the drop down menu. The filter changes, causing the graphs and charts within the dashboard to change appropriately.
Linking Dashboard Filters to Analysis Parameters
This process only applies to dashboards that include parameterized Analysis reports. You must have an Analysis report with a query parameter in it in order to proceed.
The instructions below explain how to parameterize an Analysis report.
1. In Analysis, select a field in your report to which you want to link; then, right-click and choose Filter.
In the example below, data will be filtered by Day of Week.
2. In the Filter dialog box, enter a name for the parameter in the Parameter Name text box and click the check box to enable it.
3. Select the values you want associated with the parameter. Use the arrows to add values to the box on the right.
4. Click OK to exit the Filter dialog box.
5. Save your Analysis report.
In the upper left corner of the report, you can see that a filter is in use. Click (Edit) to edit your filter; click to delete the filter.
6. Create a dashboard and drag the Analysis report into a panel.
The name of the parameter appears in the lower portion of the dashboard under Parameters.
7. Add a filter to the dashboard based on the parameter you created in your Analysis report. The filter appears in the dashboard.
, to start adding filters. The Prompt dialog appears. 
(Add) to add a filter. The Prompt dialog box appears. 
(Drop Down) control was used. 
(Edit) to display the Query input text box. 
(Edit) to edit your filter; click 
to delete the filter.