In this lesson:
Understanding Filters
Using filters helps you to see only the information you want to see with a search result. You can search for answers by the following values: attribute, measure, or date and time.
For example, you could apply a filter to a search that would include Task Assignee using a value like your team member, Ruby Dean. Every filter is shown as gray, while attributes, measures, and time are shown in blue, green, or purple.
To dig deeper into search bar features, visit ThoughtSpot's help article here.
Use these filters in as many layers and ways as you would like!
Where to Apply Filters
Let's use Ruby Dean as our guinea pig today. She's going to set up a simple search to get us going here. Ruby wants to better understand the firm's billing rates on a service item level.
Data Source Panel
First, she'll need to select the correct data source. In this case, we will use Time.
Next, she has the option to type in the Search bar or select from the list of columns on the left.
Ruby is fairly new at this, so she'll select the By category option and scroll through the list to find what she needs.
In this scenario, Ruby selects the following columns:
- Time Entry Client Id
- Total Hours
- Time Entry Id
- Time Entry Billable Amount
- Service Item Name
- Time Entry User Name
After clicking Go, a table populates where Ruby can adjust the size of each column and even click and drag columns to view the table the way she wants.
Once she reviews the table, Ruby decides she would like to see only total hours less than or equal to 5.
To do this, she goes to the search bar and right after Time Entry Hours, she types <=5.
This creates a new filter for her search.
Notice how the Time Entry Hours column went away. To get that back, simply enter Time Entry Hours again in the search bar.
Click Go to update the table and review!
Filter Panels
Ruby decides she actually wants to see Time Entry Hours less than or equal to 10. To change this, she could do that in the search bar, but for learning purposes, she'll click on the filter panel just above the table.
Once she clicks on this, a filter window populates. This is where she can add or change values individually or in bulk. Now that Ruby entered 10 as her new value, she hits Apply to update the filter.
Quick Tip: You can use multiple filters on a search. Just remember, adding a second filter to a search only shows values within the first filter you applied. To show all values, you can select the Show unfiltered values toggle within an applicable filter window. Be aware that doing this may cause the table to populate a No data found message. Removing filter criteria or removing a conflict should get you back on track!
Charts & Tables
Another area where she can see filter windows is the three-dot icon in each column of the table.
Ruby can also view filter windows in chart visualizations of answers. To do this, she'll just click on the dropdown arrow on the x-axis or y-axis title, and select Filter.
Ruby could even see filter windows in the list on the left by clicking a column and then selecting the Add filter icon in line with the selected column.
Edit Filters on Existing Liveboards
Let's say Ruby goes to her Liveboard and decides she just wants to see time entries connected to her coworker Alex. She can edit the filter of an entire Liveboard by going to Edit on the top right and clicking Add filter to select the filter icon in line with the Time Entry User Name column and setting the filter to Include only Alex.
Keep in mind: If you are not the owner of a Liveboard, you cannot edit it. However, you can make a copy and add it to your own Liveboard and edit from there!
Measure filters and operator keywords
Use case, Ruby Dean wants to see the clients that bring in the most revenue.
To do this, Ruby goes to the search bar in the Create Answers tab and types top, Billed Time Entry Hours, and by Client Name. After clicking Go, a chart populates. Ruby wants to see this data in table form, so she'll select the table icon to switch to a table view.
To go further, Ruby hovers over the Billed Time Entry Hours column, clicks the three dots, and selects Filter.
From this window, she'll go ahead and add a condition. Since Ruby wants to see Billed Time Entry Hours that are greater than or equal to 25, that's what she'll enter into the condition and value fields. Lastly, she'll click Apply to use the condition.
Ruby can also add this kind of filter from a chart visualization, however, if the chart is a map visualization, she'll have to change the chart to another that has an axis title for her to click and select the Filter option.
Keywords
Keywords are pre-built terms that help you make your search much easier. Review a few general keywords and examples below.
| Keyword | Examples | Visualization |
|---|---|---|
| top n | top 10 Service Item Name | |
| top month of year by Task Count | ||
| Billable Time Entry Hours by Service Item Name top | ||
| bottom n | bottom 25 Client Name by Billed Time Entry Hours for each Task Assigned Hours | |
| bottom User Billing Rate average | |
|
| bottom Task Count by Client State | ||
| Time Entry Hours by Service Item Name bottom | ||
| sort by | Tasks by Client Name sort by average Task & Subtask Time Hours | |
| Tasks by Task Assignee sort by Task Due Date | |
Here are a few examples of Comparative Keywords that you can type directly in the search bar when using Insights.
| Function | Examples |
|---|---|
| all | all |
| between...and | revenue between 0 and 100 |
| vs, versus | Billable Time Entry Hours Ruby vs Ben |
| > | sum Time Entry Hours by Service Item Name for this year Billed Time Entry Hours >20 |
| < | unique count Client Name by Task Due Date by week for Task Time Entry is Billable <10 |
| >= | count Task Count by Task Assignee Client Name >=a |
| <= | count Task Count by State <=n |
| = | unique count Service Item Name by Time Entry Start Date =8/24/23 for last 5 days |
| != | sum Client Count region !=Utah region !=Nevada |
If that looks a little confusing to you, it's okay. The easiest way to get through this learning curve is to dig in. We also recommend visiting ThoughtSpot's training on the Business User Learning Path here. These courses are free to use and are very helpful.
Keep in mind that tabs shown in the ThoughtSpot training videos, like SpotIQ, Monitor, Data, Admin, and Develop are not accessible within Canopy at this time. To dig deeper into Using Filters, feel free to access the ThoughtSpot training here.
Another amazing resource to reference is ThoughtSpot Docs. You can search in this help center if there are any topics that you would like to learn more about!