Overview

Filters enable reports on your dashboards to be filtered by a set of values. For example, a region filter will allow you to consume region-specific data on the same dashboard. Yellowfin allows the use of single filters, as well as filter groups.

For filters to work on your dashboard, you must add reports with user-prompt filters. These filters can be used via the left side navigation filter panel. However, filter widgets can also be used to add filters to the global content containers, or anywhere on the dashboard canvas.

Filter widgets 

Filters are added to the dashboard through a filter widget. Access the filter widget by clicking on the Filters button on the left side of the dashboard.

The following types of filter widgets are available:

• Vertical Filter List: Displays the filter on your dashboard in a vertically aligned layout.

Left side navigation filters

Filters can also be added to dashboards without the use of a widget by using the left side navigation filters. This provides users with an alternate style of displaying filters in a slide out panel, rather than permanently displaying them on the dashboard. 

Click on the top filter button on the left to access a list of filters to be added directly to the dashboard.

Note that to see this left side navigation filter button, the Left Filters toggle in a dashboard properties panel should be enabled.

Filter panel

You can add a single filter or filter groups to a filter panel through the filter widget. (See tutorial on how to add here). Once added, filters will display in the panel available for dashboard builders and end users to use on the dashboard. 

The diagram and table below provide a basic understanding of a filter panel.

Global Filters

Filter widgets can be added to the left or right side content containers (i.e. on either side of the dashboard canvas or layout tab), or into the canvas tab (i.e. the middle section).


Those added to the side content containers can be considered ‘global filters’, as they will be visible for all sub tabs. However, you can also choose to add filters to the side containers without making them appear globally by turning off their respective Global settings.

Filter widgets added to the canvas (i.e the middle section) will only be visible for that sub tab.

Note: this does not affect actual filter functionality, all linked filters in a dashboard will still work globally regardless of which sub tab or side content container they are in, meaning that linked reports will get updated according to a filter selection.

Tutorial: How to add filters to dashboard

This tutorial shows how to add filters to a dashboard using a Filter Widget. Before you begin, add reports that contain user prompt filters to your dashboard.

1. Click on the Filters icon on your dashboard builder to bring up the Filter Widget list.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Then drag a Filter Widget onto the dashboard at the exact location you would like to display the filter. This includes anywhere on the dashboard canvas, or within any of the global content containers (essential for global filter lists). 
3. A filter panel will appear on the location it was dropped. (Side note: click here for an overview of this filter panel). 
4. Add report filters to this panel by clicking on the + Filters button.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Choose Filter to add individual filters (you can add multiple as well), or Filter Group to add a filter group. (In our example, we will choose Filter.)
6. A pop up displaying available report filters will appear. This allows you to choose which filters to add from any of the reports.

Note: The filters in this popup are categorized, first according to the dashboard sub tab, and then reports within the tab.

Note 2: If none of the reports contain any filters, then the following notification will appear on this popup. Click on the Add a report link to open the Reports tab on the left side.

1. Click on one or more filter checkboxes to select those that you want to add. Alternatively, enable the Select All toggle to select all the filters on this pop up. You can undo this selection by choosing the Clear All
   
   
   
   
   
2. Click on the Add Filters button on the bottom of this pop up to add the filters.
   
   
   
   
3. The filters will then appear in the filter panel on the dashboard, as shown in the example below.
   
   

Filter Linking

You can wire filters belonging to one report to other reports on the dashboard. This filter linking means that if a user applies a selected value to a user prompt filter, all linked reports will be updated according to that selected value. You can link filters automatically, or manually. Read the below sections for more information.

Note: before enabling filter linking, ensure you have added filters to your filter panel.

Filter linking involves creating links between a dashboard filter (that is, a filter added to a dashboard appearing in a filter panel; this is also referred to as the parent filter), and filters in other reports on the same dashboard (aka child filters). 

Automatic linking

Automatic linking enables the system to automatically form links between a dashboard filter (that is, the parent filter), and filters in other reports on the same dashboard (aka child filters). 

If autolinking is enabled, Yellowfin will create links between report filters that match (see rules on how they match below). This saves users the trouble of setting up links manually or applying any analytical report settings, as done in previous versions of Yellowfin. The system also notifies users when automatic linking has successfully taken place, or in case of a failure, informs of the reason it failed. 

Automatic linking rules 

An automatic linking match is successful if:

• The parent and child filters are from the same view.
• Both filters are the same ‘field’ (e.g. Company Name to Company Name).
• Both filters are not from the same report widget (however, you can add another version of the same report and link their filters) 

If Yellowfin finds multiple possible matches, it creates the link with the first match.

Automatic links will not be created if:

• Either of the filters are parameters.
  Note: parameters in a filter list can be manually linked to other parameters on the dashboard.
• The child report has a subquery.
• The child filter on the dashboard is already linked to another filter.

Enable automatic linking

There are multiple ways to enable automatic linking:

• Click on the Automatic Filter Linking toggle in your dashboard’s properties panel.
  
   
  
  
  
• Through a pop up prompt that appears every time (unless disabled) you add any report to the dashboard.
  Note: select the radio button at the bottom if you do not wish to see this message on the current dashboard again.
  
  
• Through the filter linking popup that appears via the Link button in the filter panel.
  
  
  
  
  

Manual Linking

Users can also manually create links between filters of different dashboard reports. This is ideal if you want to link reports belonging to different views or data sets. 

You have two methods to manually link: 

1. Link multiple filters through the Link Filters button on a filter panel. 
2. Alternatively, you may also link an individual filter by accessing its menu and using the Link To option.

Manual linking rules:

Use these rules to successfully create a manual link:

• The parent and child filters must be of the same type (e.g. numeric).
• Both must have the same filter operator (e.g. In List).
• The child filter isn't already linked to. (A parent filter can be link multiple times.)
• The child filter isn’t added to another filter list. 

Side notes: 

• You can still create a manual link between filters of different types, however they will not update the child report correctly (thereby resulting in useless links).
• If the child report does not actually have a filter, you can still select a suitable data field. Yellowfin will create a background filter of the field and establish a link.

Here’s how to set this manual linking:

1. Add user prompt report filters that you want to show on our dashboard. Refer to this section to learn how to do this.
2. In the filters panel, click on the Link Filters button.
   
   
3. Note: if there are no other reports or filters to link to, a notification will appear on the new popup page. You can click on the Add a report link to add another report to link the filter to.
   
   
   
   
   
4. If the dashboard contains other reports to link to, then the Link Filters popup will appear displaying all added filters. The parent filters here will be displayed one by one, along with all the reports that it can be linked to. (You can see the sub tab that each of the reports also belong to, making it easy to locate them on the dashboard.) 

1. Note: You can turn off the auto linking toggle if it’s enabled by default, however, you’re able to create manual links even if it's on. 
2. For each report that you want to link to, select a filter from the child report from the dropdown.
   Note: This dropdown contains all the filters from the child report (if existing), along with available data fields from the view the child report was created on.
   Tip: If you selected a data field instead of an existing filter, and the field matches the ‘linking rules’, then Yellowfin will create this field into a filter in the background, permitting a manual link to be created.
   
   
   
   
3. You have the option of linking other parent filters in this popup in the same manner.
4. To un-link a field from a linked report, select the --Select-- option from the dropdown.
5. Once you have selected all link filters, click on the Apply button.
   
   
   
   

Filter Linking Progress

The system sends notifications on the success or failure of manual or automatic linking. If linking was created successfully, a success notification will appear on the bottom-right of the screen.

However, if it was a failure, the notification will inform the user of this, along with the reason for its failure. For example:

Filter properties

Dashboard Filter Bookmarks

This functionality allows you to bookmark a filtered dashboard. This means that you can bookmark your dashboard after applying a combination of filter values and drill downs to it. Doing so saves you the trouble of having to reapply the same filter and drill combination each time you visit your dashboards. You can simply reload your dashboard with the preferred filters and drills upon selecting a Dashboard Filter Bookmark.

When creating a Dashboard Filter Bookmark, you can choose to make it publically available for every dashboard user, or only specific user(s). Private bookmarks will only be seen by the user who created them, and the assigned dashboard users. They are identified with a lock icon next to them.

How to create a Dashboard Filter Bookmark:

1. Open a published dashboard that contains filters.
2. Select filter values that you prefer. This may include one or more filter or filter groups, and across any of the sub tabs in the dashboard.
3. Click on the Apply button on the filter panel. This will refresh your dashboard reports with your selected filter values.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Click on the bookmark icon on the filter panel.
   
   
   
   
   
5. A bookmark panel will appear displaying existing dashboard filter bookmarks that are available to you.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Click on the + New Bookmark button on this popup.
   
   
7. When the Create Bookmark popup appears, enter a name for the bookmark and give it a brief description to allow users to understand its purpose.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Click on  + Add people to make private link and select users, to grant access to only specific dashboard users. Other users will not be able to see this bookmark. However, if you do not give access to any users, the bookmark will be publically available to all dashboard users.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Click on the Save to Bookmarks button.
10. The new bookmark will appear in the bookmark popup.

Note that only the user who created a bookmark can delete it. To do so, simply click on the delete icon of a bookmark in the panel.

How to apply a saved bookmark

Here’s what to do to quickly refresh your dashboard by applying your bookmarked filter values.

1. In your dashboard, click on the bookmark icon on a filter panel.
2. When the bookmark panel appears, click on the name of the bookmark that you wish to apply.
3. Your dashboard will be reloaded based on the filter value combinations you had saved with that bookmark.

Notes:

• If a saved filter in a group of bookmarked filters was deleted, the other filters would still work when the bookmark was activated. Similarly, adding a new filter would not affect other saved filter values in a bookmark.