Defining My Filters

A filter allows users to restrict/group the data that are included in a reporting object. When you define a filter, you specify characteristics that the data must have to be included or filtered by. To define a filter, first make a selection in Admin Questions page and enable the filters in reports. 

1: Filters in Administrate

To use filters in your project, you must first create them as filters in the Administrate section.

1. Once you have selected the desired project in the Administrate section, select Variables.

2. Select the Questions tab. The page will list all categorical variables that can be used.  Add the columns Filter and Filter Text by opening the drop-down Columns menu at the top right.  

3. Select the variable(s) you wish to use as filters by clicking on the filter icon.

4. The filter text is the same as the variable text by default, and can be renamed. This allows a different filter label to be shown in all reports and modules. Click on the text field and enter your preferred text.

5. Save your selections.

Note: Filters can only be based on categorical questions.

If you are dealing with a large set of variables, you can filter and search using the text boxes at the top of each column. Each Variable can have a new name assigned by changing the name in the name box.

The filters selected on the Questions page are potential filters for your specific chart, or an optional filter for your report. 

2: Filters in StoryTelller

2.1: Old Layout

Under the Filters & Settings tab in StoryTeller, select the Optional Filtersto open the Optional Filters modal.

Under the Filters tab, select which of the previously defined filter variables will be made avilalbe to the end user to filter the current report.

There are several settings that enable you to cutomize how each variables appears and behaves.

1. Split Filters: Allws you to se the Behaviour settings for all variables globally

2. Nest Compare series: Determines whether Compare series are nested or concatenated.

3. Maximum number of compare series: Limits the numbers of Compare series. Having too many nested levels can hinder the rendering of the chart.

4. Add no selection: Typlically used as a default. Includes all values of the variable.

5. Use as multi-select: Set whether the variable is a single or multi-select.

6. Minimum selections: Set the minimum number of selections that can be maded on a multi-select variable.

7. Maximum selections: Set the maximum number of selections that can be maded on a multi-select variable.

8. Behaviour: Set if selections on the variable will:

   • Filter the data

   • Compare the data (separate bar for each comparison)

   • allow you to select either option (Filter & Compare)

9. Default behavior: When Filter & Compare is selected in the Behaviour column, choose the default option.

10. Default option: Select which of the variable's answer options is to be used as the default filter value.

11. Sort order: Define the order in which the variable's answer optiosn are displayed.

12. Dynamic filtering: Define if the variable is to be used with others as a Dynamic Filter. See What are Dynamic Filters? for more information about Dynamic Filters.

13. Allow separate export: Check this box to enable report users to export one report per item in the variable with one click. This allows users to not manually select and export each one individually.

14. Hide: Hide the variable from the filter panel in the report. Allows you to filter a complete report instead of selecting this filter chart by chart.This is often used when the values are set behind the scenes based on other settings.

    Note: If your users are not allowed to see this part of the data because of security reasons, you must limit the data using user access rights too, as the hide filter option is a setting on the browser side, which is not secure enough.

For certain settings, if you want to apply the same value to all of your variables, you can do so by setting the value on the first row of the table. Using this option can make the setup process more efficient.

Besides the global optional filters, individual objects can also be filtered. Select Edit on a chart, then go to the Filters tab. Open the OPTIONAL FILTERS drop-down menu.Chose optional filtersto apply to your chart.

Note: When applied, the chart will always show filtered data!