Using Filters in Gladstone Reporting

Problem

You want to understand how filters work in Gladstone Reporting, how they affect the information displayed, and how to save or reset filter selections.

Resolution

What do filters do in Gladstone Reporting?

Filters control which data is included within a report and allow you to focus reporting on the information most relevant to your analysis.

Filters are commonly available on Dashboards and within Drill Down reports. The filters available will vary according to the content, design and purpose of the report.

Gladstone Reporting uses three main types of filter:

Dashboard Filters
Widget Filters
Formula Filters

What are Dashboard Filters?

Dashboard Filters control the information displayed by compatible Widgets on a Dashboard.

Dashboard Filters are available from the filter panel on the right-hand side of the Dashboard.

You can apply a Dashboard Filter by changing its selections within the filter panel.

Compatible graphical Widgets may also allow you to filter the Dashboard by selecting an element within the Widget. Where a selection has been made in this way, the filter will be reflected within the Dashboard filter panel.

To remove a selection made within a Widget, use Clear Selection where available or amend the corresponding Dashboard Filter.

Dashboard Filter selections are typically remembered by Gladstone Reporting until they are changed by the user or an administrator.

Some Widgets operate independently of particular Dashboard Filters and may therefore remain unchanged when a Dashboard Filter is applied.

This can occur where a Widget:

uses different reporting data;
is designed to operate independently of a particular Dashboard Filter; or
contains calculation logic that defines its own reporting criteria.

If a Widget does not change when a Dashboard Filter is applied, this does not necessarily indicate a reporting problem.

Widget Filters are filters available within Drill Down reports that allow the detailed report to be refined independently of the parent Dashboard.

The Widget Filters available depend on the design and data used by the Drill Down.

Widget Filter selections are reset after use and are not remembered in the same way as Dashboard Filters.

A Drill Down opened from a selected chart element may already contain a filter representing the selection used to open it. Review the available filters if the Drill Down appears more restricted than expected.

What are Formula Filters?

Formula Filters form part of the calculation logic configured within a Widget and define which data qualifies for a particular measure or metric.

For example, a Widget designed to show paid sales during a particular reporting period may contain Formula Filters defining the qualifying sales status and date range.

Formula Filters take precedence over other filters where they form part of the Widget calculation.

Formula Filters are configured by administrators and are not intended to be changed by standard reporting users.

How do I reset Dashboard Filters?

To restore a Dashboard to its default filter selections:

Open the Filters panel on the right-hand side of the Dashboard.
Select Restore my default filters, represented by the circular arrow.
The Dashboard Filters will return to their configured default selections.

What are Starred Filters?

Starred Filters allow you to save a frequently used selection within an individual filter so that it can be reapplied without manually recreating the selection.

To create a Starred Filter:

Open the required filter.
Make the selections you want to save.
Select the Starred Filter option.
Enter a memorable name for the saved selection.

The saved selection will then be available from the Starred Filter list for that filter.

How do I remove a Starred Filter?

To remove a saved Starred Filter:

Open the relevant filter.
Select the saved Starred Filter.
Select the Starred Filter option to remove it.

What are Filter Bookmarks?

Filter Bookmarks allow you to save the current filter selections from a Dashboard or Drill Down and reapply those selections later.

A Filter Bookmark can contain selections from a single filter or multiple filters, making it useful when you regularly analyse reporting using the same combination of filter criteria.

Filter Bookmarks can be saved as:

Private Bookmarks — visible only to the user who created the bookmark.
Public Bookmarks — visible to other users within the creator's group.

Public Filter Bookmarks can help provide consistency where multiple users need to apply the same reporting filters.

Filter Bookmarks are available on Dashboards and Drill Downs from the top of the filter pane using the Select Bookmark and Save Bookmark options.

How do I create a Private Filter Bookmark?

To create a bookmark for your own use:

Open the required Dashboard or Drill Down.
Apply the filter selections you want to save.
Select Save Bookmark.
Save the selection as a Private Bookmark.

The bookmark will only be visible to you.

How do I create a Public Filter Bookmark?

To create a bookmark that can be used by other users within your group:

Open the required Dashboard or Drill Down.
Apply the filter selections you want to save.
Select Save Bookmark.
Save the selection as a Public Bookmark.

The bookmark will be available to users within your group.

How do I apply a Filter Bookmark?

To apply a previously saved bookmark:

Open the relevant Dashboard or Drill Down.
Open the Select Bookmark drop-down menu.
Select the required Filter Bookmark.

The filter selections stored within the bookmark will be applied to the report.

How do I remove a Filter Bookmark?

To remove a Filter Bookmark:

Open the Dashboard or Drill Down containing the bookmark.
Open the Select Bookmark drop-down menu.
Select the X next to the bookmark you want to remove.
Select Yes to confirm the removal.

Public Filter Bookmarks can only be removed by the user who created them.

How do I update a Filter Bookmark?

To change the selections stored within an existing Filter Bookmark:

Open the Dashboard or Drill Down containing the bookmark.
Apply the existing bookmark using the Select Bookmark drop-down menu.
Remove the existing bookmark while leaving its filter selections applied.
Update the required filter selections.
Select Save Bookmark.
Save the bookmark using either the existing name or a new name.

If updating a Public Filter Bookmark, remember that changes to the saved filtering may affect how other users within your group use that bookmark.

Notes

The filters available vary according to the Dashboard, Widget and underlying reporting data.
Not every Dashboard Filter applies to every Widget.
Widget Filters within Drill Downs may differ from the filters available on the parent Dashboard.
Formula Filters are part of the configured reporting calculation and cannot normally be changed by standard users.
If expected information is missing from a report, review the active filters before assuming that the underlying data is missing.
Starred Filters and Filter Bookmarks provide different ways of saving filter selections. Starred Filters save selections associated with an individual filter, while Filter Bookmarks can save selections across one or multiple filters.
Public Filter Bookmarks are visible to users within the creator's group and can only be removed by their creator.

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