*Report filters

Control what data appears in your reports with powerful filtering options that work across all report content.

Think of report filters like having a smart assistant who can show you only the information you care about. Instead of looking through a huge stack of papers, your assistant hands you just the pages relevant to your current question.

Purpose of report filters

Report filters let you control what data appears in your reports by connecting to SQL insights with variables:

• Filter specific insights - Only insights with variables can be filtered

• Page-level filtering - Apply filters to specific pages in your report

• Interactive controls - Convenient input fields for end users

• SQL-powered logic - Filter logic is determined by your SQL query design

• Test different scenarios - Change filter values to see different data subsets

Real-world example: Your budget report has a SQL insight with the $department variable. You add a department filter to the page that allows users to select "Public Safety" or "Health Services" to see only data for that department.

Page filters vs insight filters

Page Filters

Page filters work across multiple insights:

• Created at page level

• Can be applied to multiple insights that have matching variables

• Users see a filter interface that affects multiple charts/tables

• Set up once, connect to multiple insights

• Controlled by report editors

Example uses:

• Department filter that affects multiple insights with departmental data

• Date filter that affects multiple time-based insights

• Status filter that works across multiple project-related insights

Insight Filters

Insight filters work on individual insights:

• Override global filter values for specific insights

• Temporary changes for testing (cannot be saved)

• Good for one-off adjustments

• Only affect the single insight they are applied to

Example uses:

• Change department filter to "All Departments" for a summary chart

• Use different date range for a specific trend analysis

• Test different status values for individual insights

How report filters work

1. Create SQL insights with variables - Use $variable_name syntax in your SQL queries (see SQL variables for complete guide)

2. Add insights to your report - Place insights with variables on report pages

3. Set up page filters - Connect filters to the insight variables

4. Configure filter options - Define the available values users can select from

5. Users interact with filters - Dropdown menus and inputs change the data displayed

Types of report filters

Text filters

Filter based on text values:

• Single selection: Select one department from a dropdown list

• Multiple selection: Select multiple project statuses from checkboxes

• Text input: Enter a specific name or identifier

• Category filtering: Select from predefined list of regions or types

Number filters

Filter based on numeric values:

• Single number: Enter a minimum budget amount

• Number selection: Select from a list of priority levels (1, 2, 3)

• Threshold filtering: Set minimum or maximum values

Date filters

Filter based on specific dates:

• Single date selection: Select a specific reporting date

• Date comparison: Filter for records before or after a certain date

• Date matching: Show data for a specific day or date

Current limitations: Date filters can only filter for specific dates, not date ranges. Advanced time-based filtering like period-over-period comparisons are not yet available.

How users interact with filters

Once filters are set up, users see them as interactive filters in the top-right area of the report.

Filter interface

Each filter appears as follows:

• Filter name (the label you configured)

• Current value (if a value is selected)

• Click to open filter options

Filter interactions

Input Field Filters

For text, number, and date input filters:

1. Click filter to open the input interface

2. Enter or type value:

   • Text: Enter any text value

   • Number: Enter numeric values

   • Date: Enter YYYY-MM-DD format or use date picker

3. Click "Apply" to update connected insights

4. Filter shows your entered value

Reset: Click filter → "Reset" to clear the value or return to default value

Dropdown Filters

For single-select and multi-select filters:

1. Click filter to open selection menu

2. Select options:

   • Single-select: Click one option

   • Multi-select: Click multiple options

3. Search: Type to search through available options (with many options)

4. Click "Apply" to update connected insights

5. Filter shows selected values

Reset: Filter → "Reset" to clear the value or return to default value

Calendar Filters

For date filters with calendar interface:

1. Click filter to open calendar

2. Select date from the calendar interface

3. Click "Apply" to update connected insights

4. Filter shows selected date

Reset: Filter → "Reset" to clear the value or return to default value

Page filters vs insight filters

Page Filters

Default behavior for page filters:

• Affects all connected insights with matching variables

• Consistent filtering across multiple charts and tables

• Reset works globally for the entire page - clears filter values for all connected insights

• Users see the same filter value across all connected visualizations

Example: Department filter set to "Public Safety" affects all insights connected to the $department variable

Insight Filters

Users can temporarily override global filters:

1. Filters are shown on connected insights

2. Each click of a filter on an insight changes the filter value only locally for the current insight

3. Local changes are temporary - are not saved when the page refreshes

4. Local reset returns to the page filter value

5. Other insights keep page filter value

Use case: Compare "Public Safety" globally, but temporarily show "All Departments" in a summary chart

Overriding the page filter is temporary and cannot be saved. This is useful for quick comparisons or temporary analysis.

Getting started with filters

Ready to start filtering your reports?

• Create filters - Set up your first report filters step by step

• Filter types - Understand all available filter options and when to use each

Pro tip: Start with simple single-value filters first. Test your SQL variable logic thoroughly in the insight before connecting it to report filters. Make sure your NULL handling works correctly when no filter value is selected.

Requirements for using report filters

You must use custom SQL insights with variables to enable report filtering. What you need:

SQL insights with variables

1. Create SQL insights: Use the SQL editor to write custom queries

2. Add variables: Include $variable_name syntax in your SQL queries

3. Handle NULL values: Use proper SQL logic for when no filter is applied

4. Test thoroughly: Verify your variable logic works in the insight before adding to reports

Example SQL pattern:

SELECT department, COUNT(*) as count
FROM projects 
WHERE (department = $department OR $department IS NULL)
    AND (status IN $status_list OR $status_list IS NULL)
GROUP BY department

Manual filter configuration

• Provide filter values: You must manually enter the list of available options for each filter

• No automatic detection: The system doesn't automatically detect available values from your data

• Configure filter types: Set up text, number, or date filters based on your variable types

Learn more about variables

For complete details on creating SQL insights with variables, see SQL variables.

For step-by-step filter setup, see the Create filters guide.