How Data Actions Affect Filters

Use these rules to understand how data actions affect filters in target workbooks.

You configure a data action to pass filters from one workbook to another. Data actions can only change canvas-scope filters in the target workbook. This includes dashboard filters and unpinned filters in the filter bar. Data actions won’t change unpinned filters in the filter bar if the filter bar is hidden.

If a matching canvas-scope, user-visible filter exists in the target workbook, then the data action filter values can override it. The filter values from a data action can't override pinned filters in the filter bar or visualization filters.

Here's how filter values passed from data actions affect workbooks:

• Filter values from data actions change dashboard filter column selection values - this happens when the target workbook has a dashboard filter that uses the same columns, and has a matching filter type.
• Filter values from data actions change values of unpinned filters in the filter bar - this happens when changes to the dashboard filter aren't possible. Oracle Analytics then looks at canvas-scope filters in the filter bar and makes a change if there's a filter that matches the incoming filter (same type and similar column), the filter bar is visible to the user, and the specific matching filter is visible and interactive (not read-only).
• Filter values from data actions create a canvas-scope (unpinned) filter in the filter bar - this happens when the filter bar or a matching filter is hidden, or read-only. The default Limit By behavior is retained.

Here's how filter values passed from data actions affect existing filters in dashboards and workbooks:

• A data action can't add filters to a dashboard filter; it can only reuse existing filters on the dashboard filter.
• A data action can only reuse dashboard filters if a matching filter exists on the target canvas.
• A data action gives precedence to matching filters on the dashboard filter. This means that if there's a choice between a data action reusing a matching filter in a dashboard filter or the filter bar, then the data action reuses the matching dashboard filter.
• A data action creates a canvas-scope (unpinned) filter in the filter bar if a compatible dashboard filter doesn't exist in the target canvas.
• A data action never creates a workbook-scope (pinned) filter in the target workbook. You need to bind the filter to a parameter to achieve this functionality.
• A data action can't change visualization filters because they aren't the target of data actions. This includes visualization filters selected on the dashboard filter. You need to bind these filters to parameters to change the values.
• A data action never reuses an expression filter but instead creates a new canvas-scope (unpinned) expression filter.