Dashboard filters
One filter bar that narrows several widgets at once, with starting values, month filters, and filters carried into reports.
A dashboard has its own filter bar across the top. One filter, such as a subsidiary, a vendor or a range of months, can narrow widgets from several reports at once, even when those reports name the field differently.
Using the filter bar
Each filter in the bar is the same kind of control a column filter uses: text, dropdown, number, date, month or yes/no. Set a value, and every widget that the filter is routed to narrows at once.
- Clear all resets the bar.
- Reopening the dashboard restores its starting values.
- A filter marked "not applied yet" is not routed to any widget, so it does nothing.
A table widget's own header filters also narrow every chart and stat tile over the same report, both on a dashboard and on a report page.
Filter types
| Type | Reads | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Text columns | A document number, a memo |
| Dropdown (pick from values) | Text columns | A vendor, a subsidiary, a sales rep |
| Number | Number, currency and percent columns | An amount range |
| Date | Date and datetime columns | A date range, or a relative range such as Last 30 days |
| Month (YYYY-MM) | Month columns | Pick months, a whole year, a month range, or This year and Last quarter |
| Yes / No | Yes / No columns | Open only, overdue only |
The month filter gives you the same month picker as a report: months grouped by year, a tick for each whole year, ranges, and relative choices that follow the calendar.
Building the filter bar
- Open the dashboard in edit mode and choose Filters…. The Dashboard filters editor opens.
- Choose + Add filter, then give the filter a label and a type.
- For each widget, choose the column this filter applies to, or leave it on Not applied. The columns come from each widget's own report, so one filter can drive Brand on one report and Vendor on another.
- To give the filter a starting value, set the value in the filter bar, then choose Use current value. Clear starting value removes it.
- Choose Done, then Save dashboard.
Remove filter deletes the filter from the bar.
Warnings about targets
The editor warns you when a filter's targets may not mean the same thing. There are two cases:
- A target column's format does not suit the filter, for example a month filter routed to a text column, or a number filter routed to a name.
- The target columns look like different fields. Their labels and keys disagree, or they link to different record types.
The editor treats two columns that link to the same record type as the same field, whatever they are called. A warning asks you to check and does not block the filter. The columns come from each report's SQL, and you decide.
Filters carried into reports
A dashboard is often the start of a question. When you leave it for a report, the dashboard's filters come with you.
- The report name in a widget's title bar opens that report with the dashboard filters that apply to the widget. Each one becomes a column filter on the report.
- A drill-through from a table widget carries them too. Where a column receives both the clicked row's value and a dashboard filter, the row's value wins.
The app fits a carried value to the type of the column it fills. A month carried to a date column becomes that month's dates, and a dropdown pick carried to a text column becomes an exact match. Clear the column filters on the report to see all of it.
Starting values
Starting values make a dashboard open on a sensible slice, such as This year or one subsidiary. Viewers can change or clear them for their visit, and the dashboard opens on the starting values again next time. If a widget looks empty, check the filter bar before you assume the report is.
Tips
- Use a Dropdown filter for fields with a known list of values, and Text for free searching.
- Route a Month (YYYY-MM) filter to the month column of summary reports stored by month. For detail reports with a date column, use a Date filter.
- Keep the bar short. Three or four filters that everyone understands are easier to use than ten.
Related: Building a dashboard · Drill-through · Filters and the grain switch · The Statement widget