Bind Parameters to Filters

This topic describes how to create a parameter and bind it to a filter or choose an existing parameter to bind to a filter.

Topics:

• About Binding Parameters to Filters

• Create and Bind a Parameter to a Workbook Filter

• Create and Bind a Parameter to a Dashboard Filter

• Create and Bind a Parameter to Exclude Filter Values

• Create and Bind a Parameter to a Double Column Type Filter

• Bind an Existing Parameter to a Filter

About Binding Parameters to Filters

Bind a parameter to a filter when you want to pass a selected filter value from one canvas to another in a workbook, or you want to have more control over how dashboard filters behave and are exposed to the user.

Binding a parameter to a filter is one-way binding, meaning a parameter doesn't limit the list of available filter values that the user can choose from. A parameter's properties define the values that it can accept from the filter.

When bound to a filter, the parameter listens to the filter's selections and when the parameter accepts a filter value, it passes that value to wherever you use the parameter in the workbook.

Binding a parameter to a filter has many uses. For example, by default when you add the Dashboard Filters control to a canvas, it only applies filters to that canvas. You can use parameters bound to filters to pin the dashboard filters across multiple canvases in the workbook. When multiple canvases include a dashboard control with the same filters bound to the same parameters, any filter values selected by the user are applied to each canvas.

Create and Bind a Parameter to a Workbook Filter

Select a workbook filter's data values and then use the Create Parameter option to create and bind a parameter to the filter. After you create the parameter, you can bind it to other filters in the workbook to pass data values between filters.

The parameter you create uses the filter's selected values and corresponding column's name as its properties, and is added to the workbook's Parameters tab. The parameter shares the filtered column's name, for example, if you bind a parameter to a City column filter, the binding creates a parameter named City.

For more information about how to use parameter binding in a workbook's filters, see About Binding Parameters to Filters.

You can also select an existing parameter to bind to the workbook filter. See Bind an Existing Parameter to a Filter.

1. On the Home page, select the workbook where you want to create a workbook filter and add and bind a parameter to, click Actions, and then select Open.
2. Create or locate and click the workbook filter where you want to create and bind the parameter.
3. Optional: Select the filter values.
4. Click Bind to Parameter (x) and then click Create Parameter to create and bind the parameter to the filter.
5. Optional: Go to the workbook's Data Panel, click Parameters, right-click the parameter you created from the filter, and select Edit Parameter to review and update the parameter's properties. Click OK.

Create and Bind a Parameter to a Dashboard Filter

You can create and bind a parameter to most dashboard filter types. After you create the parameter, you can bind it to other filters in the workbook, for example to the same filter on another canvas, to pass data values between filters.

You can select the dashboard filter's data values and use the Create Parameter option to create and bind a parameter to the filter. The parameter you create uses the selected values and corresponding column as its properties, and is added to the workbook's Parameters tab. The parameter shares the filtered column's name, for example, if you bind a parameter to a City column filter, the binding creates a parameter named City.

For more information about how to use parameter binding, see About Binding Parameters to Filters.

You can also select an existing parameter to bind to the dashboard filter. See Bind an Existing Parameter to a Filter.

1. On the Home page, select a workbook, click Actions, select Open, and click Edit.
2. In the Data Panel, click the Visualizations tab, and drag and drop Dashboard Filters to the canvas.
3. In the Data Panel, click the Data tab, and drag and drop the column that you want to use to filter the canvas into the dashboard filters visualization.
4. Optional: Select the filter values.
5. Click Properties to open the Properties panel, then click Filter Controls.
6. Locate and expand the filter you just added, click the Filter Type field and select an appropriate filter type.
7. If you selected List, Range, or Top Bottom N, then click the dashboard filter, click Bind to Parameter (x), and select Create Parameter to use the selected filter values to create and bind the parameter to the filter.
8. If you selected List Box or Checkbox / Radio Button, then in the Properties pane, under Filter Controls, go to Parameter Binding (Selection) and click None. Select Create Parameter to use the selected filter values to create and bind the parameter to the filter, or select an existing parameter to bind to the filter.
9. Optional: To specify if the user is required to select a filter value, go to the Properties pane and under Filter Controls, click the Selection Required field, and select On.
10. Click Save.

Create and Bind a Parameter to Exclude Filter Values

Set a filter to exclude data values and then use the Bind to Parameter option to create and bind an excludes parameter to the filter. After you create the parameter, you can bind it to other filters in the workbook to pass excluded data values between filters.

This tutorial provides a use case explaining how to use a parameter to exclude filter values that you pass to another canvas.

Tutorial

This tutorial provides a use case explaining how to apply an exclusion list filter to all canvases in a workbook.

Tutorial

You can create and bind a parameter to exclude data values for List, List Box, Checkbox / Radio Button, and Range filters.

The excludes parameter you create uses the Integer data type and contains Boolean values, and is added to the workbook's Parameters tab. The excludes parameter shares the filtered column's name, for example, if you bind an excludes parameter to a City column filter, the binding creates a parameter named Excludes City.

You can also select an existing excludes parameter to bind to a filter. An existing excludes parameter must use the Integer data type and contain Boolean values.

Before you create and bind an excludes parameter, you must set the filter's values and bind a parameter to the filter. This is to ensure that the exclusion list is passed to the parameter.

1. On the Home page, select the workbook with the filter you want to create and bind an excludes parameter to, click Actions, and then select Open.
2. Locate and click the filter that you want to bind the excludes parameter to.
3. For a list or range filter:
   1. In Selections, confirm that the filter values are set to the values you want to exclude and that the Bind to Parameter icon (x) is green, indicating that a parameter is bound to the filter.
   2. Click Exclude, click Bind to Parameter (x), and then click Create Parameter to create and bind the excludes parameter to the filter.
4. For a list box or checkbox / radio button dashboard filter:
   1. Click Properties and click Filter Controls.
   2. Go to the Parameter Binding (Selection) field and confirm that a parameter name is displayed, indicating that a parameter is bound to the filter.
   3. Go to the Exclude Selection field and set it to On.
   4. Locate the Parameter Binding (Excludes Mode) field and click None. Click Create Parameter to create and bind the excludes parameter to the filter.
5. Click Save.

Create and Bind a Parameter to a Double Column Type Filter

You can select the double column filter's data values and then use the Create Parameter option to create and bind a parameter to the filter. The parameter you create uses the selected values and corresponding column as its properties, and is added to the workbook's Parameters tab.

This tutorial provides a use case explaining how to bind a double column list filter to a parameter:

Tutorial

For more information about how to use parameter binding in a workbook's filters, see About Binding Parameters to Filters.

Double columns are available only in datasets created from local subject areas. In a double column, one column represents the data descriptor value and is displayed to the consumer. The second column represents an identifier of the data descriptor and isn't displayed to the consumer.

When you create a parameter for a double column, the Alias field in the parameter's property is turned on by default. An alias is required for a double column parameter, so you can't switch the Alias field to off.

When you create a parameter from a filter, the parameter uses the filtered column's name.

1. On the Home page, select the workbook where you want to create a double column type filter and add and bind a parameter to, click Actions, and then select Open.
2. Create or locate and click the double column type filter where you want to create and bind the parameter. The filter displays the double column's display values and not its ID values.
3. Click Bind to Parameter (x) and then click Create Parameter to create and bind the parameter to the filter.
4. Optional: Go to the workbook's Data Panel, click Parameters, right-click the parameter you created from the filter, and select Edit Parameter to reviews and update the parameter's properties.
5. Click OK.

Bind an Existing Parameter to a Filter

Choose a system parameter or an existing workbook parameter to bind to a filter and pass a selected filter value to the parameter.

For more information about how to use parameter binding in a workbook's filters, see About Binding Parameters to Filters.

You can also create a parameter from and bind it to a filter. See Create and Bind a Parameter to a Workbook Filter.

When you click Bind to Parameter, Oracle Analytics lists the workbook's parameters that are compatible and available for you to bind to the filter.

Hover over a parameter's exclamation icon for information about the parameter's compatibility with the filter. This information is just a warning and doesn't prevent you from binding the parameter to the filter.

The warning "The filter supports multiple values but the parameter doesn't," means that you can select multiple values in the filter but the parameter definition accepts only the first value specified in the filter value selection list. If you want to fix this issue, go to the filter's properties and change its Multi Select filter control to match the parameter's Allow Multi Select setting.

1. On the Home page, select the workbook with the filter that you want to bind a parameter to, click Actions, and then select Open.
2. Create or locate and click the filter that you want to bind the parameter to.
3. Click Bind to Parameter (x) and then click the parameter that you want to bind to the filter.
4. Click OK.