Filters in Platform Analytics

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 25, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Filters in Platform Analytics

    Filters in Platform Analytics enable ServiceNow customers to refine list data and data visualizations on both inline and technical dashboards. These filters help users focus on relevant data by filtering based on values, true/false conditions, or dates. Filters can be applied at a dashboard tab level or across the entire dashboard.

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    Inline dashboards are easier to configure using the inline dashboard editor, while technical dashboards, built in UI Builder, offer greater flexibility but require advanced expertise, including creating custom event handlers for filters.

    Key Features

    • Filter Types: Create single select, multiple select, true/false, or date filters to match dataset requirements.
    • Filter Creation and Application: Filters can be created directly on inline dashboards or added from a reusable filter library. Technical dashboards require filter components and event handler configuration in UI Builder.
    • Filter Groups: Combine multiple filters into a group to apply or clear them collectively, improving efficiency by minimizing database calls.
    • Filter Retention: Inline dashboard filters retain user selections across logins and page refreshes unless the filter configuration is edited. Technical dashboard filters do not retain values across sessions.
    • Data Visualization as Filters: Set table or indicator visualizations to act as filters within dashboards, enhancing interactive data exploration.
    • Domain Filtering: For domain-separated instances, domain filters allow users to filter data by one or multiple domains, ensuring data visibility aligns with domain boundaries.

    Practical Usage Guidance

    • To create or add a filter on inline dashboards, use the inline editor or filter library. Users with the analyticsfilteradmin role can manage the filter library.
    • When configuring cascading filters, a multiple or single select filter can depend on the selection of another filter for more granular data refinement.
    • True/false filters enable filtering based on Boolean fields, such as filtering active incidents.
    • Date filters allow selection of predefined periods or custom date ranges to narrow dashboard data.
    • For technical dashboards, filters require configuration as components in UI Builder and event handlers to link filters to data visualizations or lists.
    • Editing filters on dashboards depends on whether the filter is local or from the library; editing impacts how filters behave across dashboards and users.

    Limitations and Troubleshooting

    Breakdown filters migrated into Platform Analytics without associated indicators cannot be extended or modified, limiting customization options for these filters.

    On technical dashboards, filters do not retain their selected values across user sessions or page refreshes, which is important to consider for user experience design.

    Filter lists and data visualizations on an inline or technical dashboard. Filter by possible data value, by whether the value is true or false, or by date.

    The preceding video illustrates how to create a filter, in this case a multi-select filter for table data.

    You can create a filter for either an inline dashboard or a technical dashboard. Inline dashboards are those dashboards created and populated in the inline dashboard editor. Technical dashboards are populated in the UI Builder and are more flexible but require considerably more expertise. For example, on a technical dashboard, you have to create custom event handlers for filters to apply to lists or data visualizations.

    Filters on inline dashboards

    For inline dashboards, you can either create a filter directly on the dashboard through the inline editor, or you can add a filter to the dashboard from the filter library. In either case, you can add filters to a specific tab or have them apply to the entire dashboard. To take these actions, you only need the right to edit the dashboard.

    If you have the analytics_filter_admin role, you can also create a filter for the library through the Filter Designer or copy an existing filter to the library.

    The filter applies to those data visualizations and list components that contain a target of the filter.

    If you want to put multiple filters on your dashboard, consider adding a filter group. In a filter group, you configure several filters and apply or clear them with one action, making only one call to the database. A filter group may therefore be more efficient than multiple separate filters.

    When you create a filter, you first specify the filter type. All further configuration options depend on the selected type.
    Important:
    When using this documentation, first select a topic for creating a filter. After you create a filter and select the filter type, follow the appropriate topic for configuring a filter of that type.

    Retaining filter values

    On inline dashboards, filters retain their values across logins or page refreshes. However, these values are no longer retained when someone edits the filter configuration. Afterward, the filter reverts to its default values for all users on their next login or page refresh. On technical dashboards and pages created in UI Builder, filters do not retain values across logins or refreshes. For an exception, see Add a dashboard to a Dashboards page.

    Domain filters

    You can filter visualizations by domain on domain-separated instances. Domain filtering uses a different component. For more information, see Create a domain filter.