Use Filter Expressions and Dynamics Filter to centrally maintain your business rules

[dylanwan]

Introduction

You may have filter criteria that are used in many dashboards and insights.  It becomes difficult to manage these when the logic needs to be changed. You will have to find out where those filters are applied and change them each individually.

Fortunately, Incorta provides a feature that allows you to centrally maintain the filters and once they are changed, all dashboards or insights are updated accordingly.

Use cases:

• GL Accounts may be grouped by multiple ranges to form a group account and the definition needs to be centrally maintained
• Some filters are used for identifying the data that can be viewed by different teams

What you need to know before reading this article

Here are the concepts that help

• Dashboard Applied Filter
• Insight Filter
• Session Variables

Let's Go

Here are step by step instructions that explain how to create reusable filters and use them in different places :

1. Create and test the filter expression
2. Use dynamic filters
   • Use dynamic filters in measures 
   • Use dynamic filters in insights
   • Use dynamic filters in dashboard applied filters
   • Use dynamic filters in dashboard filter options
3. Use session variables in filter expressions
4. Use a data file as the source for session variables

Create Filter Expressions

The simplest way to create a filter expression is to first test the filter expression in a dashboard to verify the logic works as expected and then to copy that same logic into the filter expression.

Dynamic Filters

Steps:

1. Drag and drop a formula as a filter
2. Instead of entering the expression in the formula editor, click Cancel
3. You will see the dynamic filter option.  Turn it on.
4. Pick a saved filter expression

Use session variables in a dynamic filter.