Filter Types

Oracle Analytics supports many different types of filters that you can use depending on the filter scope and the data element you're using to filter.

Filter Type Description
List

A list filter can be applied to data elements that are text and date data types, and number data types that can't be aggregated. A list filter provides a simple list of values to choose from and lets you see which values are selected and which aren't. They work well for attributes with a long list of values.

Availability: List filters are available for all filter scopes.

Properties:
  • Multi Select
  • Default Value
  • Exclude
  • Nulls
  • Disable
  • Selection Parameter Binding
  • Excludes Mode Parameter Binding
For more information about these properties, see Dashboard Filter Control Properties.

Limitations: While list filters don’t have a limit to the number of values they can display, performance can decline if more than 10,000 values are selected.

List box

A list box filter is similar to a list filter and can be applied to text, uncountable values, and dates. It also provides a simple list of values but only lets you select one or All.

Availability: List box filters are available only for dashboard filters.

Properties:
  • Custom Values
  • Default Value
  • Exclude
  • Nulls
  • Selection Parameter Binding
  • Excludes Mode Parameter Binding
For more information about these properties, see Dashboard Filter Control Properties.
Limitations:
  • You can't disable a list box filter.
  • Multi Select isn't available for list box filters.
Checkbox / Radio Button

A checkbox or radio button filter can be applied to text, uncountable values, and dates. When Multi Select is on, the filter uses a checkbox, and when it's off, the filter uses a radio button.

Availability: Checkbox or radio button filters are available only for dashboard filters.

Properties:
  • Multi Select
  • Default Value
  • Exclude
  • Nulls
  • Visible Values
  • Selection Parameter Binding
  • Excludes Mode Parameter Binding
For more information about these properties, see Dashboard Filter Control Properties.
Limitations:
  • By default, this filter type is optimized to display only the first 50 data values. For a filter column with more than 50 values, Oracle recommends that you use a different filter type, for example a list box filter.
  • You can't disable a checkbox or radio button filter.
Top Bottom N

A top bottom N filter can be applied to measure and attribute data elements. For example, you might filter a visualization by the top 10 customers based on sales.

Availability: Top bottom N filters are available for all filter scopes.

Properties:
  • Method - Specifies whether to filter by Top (highest values) or Bottom (lowest values).
  • Count - Specifies the number of values to display.
  • By - Specifies which measure or attribute to limit by.
Range

A range filter can be generated for data elements that are number data types and that have an aggregation rule set to something other than none. Range filters are applied to data elements that are measures, and that limit data to a range of contiguous values, such as revenue of $100,000 to $500,000. Or you can create a range filter that excludes (as opposed to includes) a contiguous range of values. Such exclusive filters limit data to noncontiguous ranges (for example, revenue less than $100,000 or greater than $500,000).

Availability: Range filters are available for all filter scopes.

Properties:

  • Start - Specifies the minimum value.
  • End - Specifies the maximum value.
  • By - Specifies which measure or attribute to limit by.
Date Range

A date range filter uses calendar controls to adjust time or date selections to limit data to a specific period of time. You can either select a single contiguous range of dates, or you can use a date range filter to exclude dates within the specified range.

Availability: Date range filters are available for all filter scopes.

Properties:

  • Range - Requires a start and end date to filter on.
  • Start at - Requires only a start date to filter from.
  • End at - Requires only an end date to filter to.
  • Equal - Requires a specific date to filter on.
Relative Time

A relative time filter focuses on values for a specified time period relative to today or end of last period. For example, you can focus on the last three years, the next three years, or year to date through the last fiscal period.

The current date and time used in queries is the Oracle Analytics server host's date and time in the server's timezone (not the browser host's time or timezone).

Availability: Relative time filters are available for all filter scopes.

Properties:
  • Type - Specifies whether the filter is relative to a past or future time period, or to today's date.
    • Last - Uses the Increment and Time Level values to specify a time period up to either today's date or the end of the last period.

      Last filters that are based on a DateTime column and which have a grain of Day or longer (for example, Year, Quarter, Month, Week, Day), retrieve data from the same time of day on the starting day. For example, if the server date/time is currently Thursday 3:15pm , a Last 2 Days filter on a DateTime column retrieves data with timestamps between Tuesday 3:15pm and Thursday 3:15pm in the server's timezone. Filter queries that are based on a Date column (which by definition have no time of day associated) only depend on the server host's date, not the time of day.

    • Next - Uses the Increment and Time Level values to specify a time period after either today's date or the start of the next period.
    • To Date - Use the Time Level value to specify the time period from the beginning of the Time Level value up to today's date. For example, Month to Date retrieves data from midnight of the first day of this month up until the current date and time (that is, Today).
  • Increment - Specifies the increment of the unit of time to use for the filter.
  • Time Level - Specifies the unit of time to use for the filter.
  • Relative To - Specifies whether the filtered data is relative to Today, Start of Next Period, or End of Last Period.

Limitations: You can apply a relative time filter only to date columns that already exist in the data source, not to derived columns such as Year, or Quarter. The relative time filter type supports Date and DateTime column types.

Slider

A slider filter can be used to animate visualizations and show dynamically how your data changes over a given dimension such as time. A slider filter can be applied to text, uncountable values, and dates.

Availability: Slider filters are only available for dashboard filters. See Filter and Animate Visualizations Using a Slider Dashboard Filter.

Properties:
  • Font - Value and Label
  • Auto Play - On, Off, Speed, and Repeat
For more information about these properties, see Dashboard Filter Control Properties.
Limitations:
  • You can't disable a slider filter.
  • Parameter binding isn't available for slider filters.

To change the filter type of an existing filter, see Change the Filter Type.

The following filter options are also available in Oracle Analytics: