A dashboard can narrow what its widgets show in two separate ways, and they are different controls with different jobs: Parameters and Filter. Both sit at the top-left of the dashboard, and a dashboard only shows the ones it has been built with — some dashboards have both, some have one, some have neither.
Parameters vs Filter — which is which
| Parameters | Filter | |
|---|---|---|
| Button | Parameters (hover label Manage dashboard parameters) | Filter, or a count once filters are set — 1 Filter, 2 Filters (hover label Filter dashboard data) |
| Panel heading | Parameters | Filtering |
| What it holds | The inputs the dashboard was built to take, each with its own name — for example Date From, a date field in DD/MM/YYYY | Conditions you build yourself, as Where rows of field, operator and value |
| Applying it | No buttons — a value takes effect once you set it | Apply filter to apply, Clear all to empty the conditions |
| What's in force | Listed beside the button as Applied parameters: | Listed beside the button as Applied filters: |
In short: Parameters are the handful of named inputs the dashboard expects, and Filter is a condition builder you drive yourself.
Set a parameter
- Open Dashboards in the left-hand menu and choose the dashboard from the list panel in Dashboard Centre.
- Click Parameters at the top of the page.
- Set each value — for example type or pick a date in Date From.
- The widgets update. There is nothing to submit, and the values in force are shown beside the button under Applied parameters:.
Build a filter
- Open the dashboard and click Filter (or N Filters, if some are already set).
- The Filtering panel opens. It is divided into Dashboard-Wide Filters, which apply across the whole dashboard, and then one section per widget — so you can filter a single widget without touching the rest.
- In the section you want, click Add a new filter and complete the Where row: choose the field, then the operator, then the value.
- Add as many conditions as you need, in as many sections as you need.
- Click Apply filter. The widgets update, and the conditions in force appear beside the button under Applied filters:.
To start over, click Clear all in the panel, then Apply filter.
Notes
- Both controls are configured per dashboard. The parameters a dashboard offers, and the fields you can filter on, are set when the dashboard is built — so two dashboards will not necessarily offer the same ones, and a dashboard with neither control shows neither button.
- Filtering a widget's own section affects only that widget. Use Dashboard-Wide Filters when you want the whole dashboard narrowed at once.
- Parameters and filters change what the widgets display. They do not change the underlying data, and they do not change the dashboard's saved layout.
- A PDF export captures the dashboard as it currently appears, so set your parameters and filters before you export.