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This article outlines some of the best practices you can use to help you get the most from dashboard filters. To learn more about filters and how to add them to your dashboard, see Adding interactive dashboard components.
This article contains the following sections:
- Use reports from fewer datasets
- Select time filters you need
- Link data filters
- Exclude filters from reports
- Use time filters
- Save default filter values
- Use filters across multiple tabs
Use reports from fewer datasets
To simplify the dashboard filtering process, don't use reports from too many datasets. Typically, one or two datasets will provide enough data. For example, reports in the most common prebuilt dashboard tabs are based on one dataset.
Sometimes, you'll need to add reports from multiple datasets to a dashboard. In such situations, review the reports in the tab to ensure they can't be created from the same datasets.
For more information about the metrics and attributes contained in each dataset, see Understanding Explore datasets.
Select the time filter attributes you need
Each dataset has multiple time attributes. All these attributes are listed in the time filter menu and can be used to filter the dashboard tab. If reports added to the dashboard are from multiple datasets, then time attributes from multiple datasets will be available in the filter menu.
The goal is to select only those time attributes that you actually want to use for filtering the reports in the tab. Typically, you will need one to three time attributes per tab. For example, the Tickets tab of the default Support dashboard uses two attributes for time filtering, Ticket created and Ticket solved.
Link data filters
If you use more than one dataset in the same dashboard, you must link data filter attributes to the equivalent attributes from other datasets.
For example, the Satisfaction tab of the default Support dashboard uses reports from two datasets: Tickets, and Updates history. The data filters are based on the attributes from the Tickets dataset. To ensure that these filters are applied to all reports, they are linked with attributes from the Updates history dataset.
Exclude filters from reports
There are three main reasons for excluding dashboard filters from individual reports:
- You are using more than one attribute in the time filter
- You don't want some of the reports to be affected by a specific filter
- A dashboard filter might override results returned from a filter on the report itself
Dashboard filters can be disabled for each report via the Exclude filters setting. See Excluding reports from dashboard filters.
Use time filters
When using time filters on dashboards, it’s better to select a specific time limit rather than the All history value. Selecting All history means that no time frame is selected. In other words, it doesn’t filter any report on the dashboard. Additionally, the All history value isn't included in the new Explore dashboard builder.
As a result, if some reports on your dashboard have report-level filters, they will still apply even when the reports are viewed from the dashboard because All history doesn’t override them.
Save default filtered views
Values selected from a dashboard filter are not automatically saved. Therefore, the filter selections are reset each time the dashboard is accessed or reloaded. Because of this, it's important to set the default view for each dashboard tab. This is especially important if a time filter is used in the tab or the dashboard will be scheduled for email delivery or shared externally. For help with bookmarks, see Bookmarking dashboard states with filtered views.
Use filters across multiple tabs
With the correct configuration, you can make data filters, time filters, and live data filters work across multiple dashboard tabs. To do so, add the same filter to each tab you want it to affect. See Filtering results across multiple tabs.
35 comments
Sierra Collins
Hello,
We need the option for “All History” specifically for Unsolved Tickets.
I have clients with tickets unsolved longer than 24 months for business purposes. We have dashboards created for them to show them all unsolved tickets today. However, with these new dashboards- there is no way to see tickets further back to 24 months unless we do a custom filter every time. Also if I set a custom filter to go back to the oldest unsolved ticket, there is no way to set the end date for "today". I have to choose a day of the week, which means every day we would have to push the date back every time. or set it far out. But even then we'd have to remember to check the date filter once the end date passes.
0
Dan Ross
+1000 to Colin's comment. I finally gave the new dashboard builder a try hoping that it would be more polished than the beta but this omission breaks my brain. Any kind of user testing should have validated the need to filter like this.
This limitation and Decompose not being a thing and a lack of ‘Quarter’ in the relative date filters in GA is incredibly disappointing. I'm going back to the legacy builder for now.
I try to stay positive with these releases but I am not convinced that Zendesk has any business setting an EOL for the legacy builder until its replacement is actually suitable for GA. Sorry Explore team, I know folks are working hard, but this release is just not ready for production use.
1
Jen C
I agree with Colin-Pierre Larnerd. He has all the relevant pictures. I also need to exclude with a filter rather than add the exclude option to every report. Is that an option to edit the filters to allow for excluding like in the legacy dashboards?
Can we hide things on the dashboard like the legacy dashboards? I have a data filter that I hide on the dashboards in addition to the bookmark square as well.
0
Mayoo Inoue
Thanks 8182020382746 !
0
David Wexelblat
1266047938290 As far as I can tell, that section bears no correlation whatsoever to the new dashboard builder. It links off to a page discussing the old builder, and what's discussed there doesn't apply. There does not appear to be any way to have a date filter that applies to all tabs. Another way the new dashboard builder is worse than the old one.
0
Colin-Pierre Larnerd
Hi! In the new beta Dashboards, there is no option to select all or exclude data in filters.
For example, I have a filter for Ticket organization name, but I cannot select all or exclude any.
The legacy dashboard allows me to exclude data in the filter:
It's really important to at least Select All or Exclude data in the filters! When will this be available? Thanks!
4
Mayoo Inoue
Hello,
I'm using a new dashboard and when I click Time Filter in one tab, I see ‘Ticket created' and ‘Ticket solved’ are listed in Link filters. I only use the Support dataset in this tab. What does the portion in Link filters mean here?
0
Denise von femSense
Hi,
How can you adjust the data filter in the new Dashboard builder? In the old Dashboard builder you were able to choose a display name, if multiple selections should be possible, different sorting options of the data and displaying the selected data.
I cannot find any of these options with the new builder??
1
Andres Nuñez del Prado
Hello,
How can I exclude a report from a time filter when using the Beta Dashboards? I don't see any dropdown arrow as explained in this article:
https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408825695514-Time-filter-isn-t-working-when-I-choose-a-time-frame-Video
1
James G
0
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