The Stories Global Filter Bar

The Global Filter Bar component in Stories allows users to filter charts, maps, and tables that are powered by the same dataset with just a few clicks!

• Setting up the Global Filter Bar
• Add a Global Filter to Your Story
• Use a Global Filter Bar Template
• Add a Data Source to Power the Global Filter
• Add Dimensions to Filter the Story
• Change the Data Source Powering the Global Filter
• Choosing Assets to Filter via the Global Filter
• How do I Know Which Assets are Filtered or Not?
• Unfilterable Assets
• Filtering or Drill Down on Individual Assets
• Sharing Your Story

Setting up the Global Filter Bar

The Global Filter Bar component is available in the Content Block section of your Story. When a user opens the Content Block side panel, they see the global filter bar option.

Add a Global Filter to Your Story

When you want to add a global filter bar to your story, you can either:

1. Double click on the global filter bar component, this will add it to the very top of your story.
2. Click and drag the global filter component, this will allow you to place it anywhere within the Story.

Note: Once you have added a global filter component to the story, you are not able to add another

Use a Global Filter Bar Template

You can also create a Story from a template that contains a global filter! This template option is available under the Templates side panel option within the Dashboard section.

For more information on Story templates, click here.

Add a Data Source to Power the Global Filter

To make your global filter useful, you must choose a dataset or derived view to power it. Click on “Select Dataset within the component. This will take you to a modal where you can choose a data source.

Note: The global filter bar will only filter assets on a page that are directly related to the dataset or derived view powering it. This means, for example, when a user chooses a dataset to power their global filter bar and they add assets created off a derived view that was created from the same dataset, these assets will not filter.

Add Dimensions to Filter the Story

Once a data source has been added to the global filter component, the filter will act much like the quick filter bar on visualizations and measures today.

Note: You are unable to filter on URL type columns. 

Add Parameters to the Story

If you're connecting the global filter bar to a parameterized view, you can also include the parameter(s) in the global filter bar.

To learn more about using parameters in Story pages, check out this article in the Knowledge Base.

Change the Data Source Powering the Global Filter

If you want to change the dataset you’ve chosen to power your global filter bar, there are two easy options:

1. Select another dataset from the catalog – great when you’re first creating a Story!
2. Select from content that exists in your Story – an easy way to add a filter to any existing Story!

These two options are available in a dropdown from the Edit button on the filter component.

Choosing Assets to Filter via the Global Filter

Selecting a Chart or Map to Insert into the Story.

Use the “Global Filter Compatible” checkbox when adding a chart, map, or calendar into your Story to be filtered by the global filter.

Checking the box will filter assets to those that are derived from the dataset selected for the global filter bar. Unchecking the box will return all assets available through the asset selector.

Selecting a Multi-Layer Map to Insert into the Story

If you would like to filter a multi-layer map in your Story, you will only be able to filter the primary layer as long as it is the same as the dataset or derived view selected for the global filter bar.

Note: If the map contains multiple layers from the same data source, the global filter will filter all layers.

Once you’ve selected a chart, map, or calendar to insert into your Story, you will be taken to a preview. Any pre-existing filters on the asset will be updated based on the global filter bar upon inserting the asset into the story.

Select a Table to Insert into the Story

Use the “Global Filter Compatible” checkbox when adding a table into your Story to be filtered by the global filter.

Checking the box will filter assets to those that are derived from the dataset selected for the global filter bar. Unchecking the box will return all assets available through the asset selector.

Note: If the user has not selected a data source or configured the global filter, then they will not have that checkbox option available when selecting a table.

Once that table is selected, you will be taken to a preview of the asset, where you are able to add individual filtering options for that specific table. The table will be updated based on the global filter bar dimensions once inserted into the Story.

Hierarchical tables built in the story automatically use the global filter if it is based on the same dataset as the table.

How do I Know Which Assets are Filtered or Not?

Edit Mode/Story Draft

When you have created a Story draft and configured a global filter with a data source, you will notice as you add assets to the page, the filter icon on the asset will update if it’s being filtered by the Global Filter Bar.

Any Global filters that apply to visualizations will appear in a read-only state.

View and Preview Mode/Published Story

Once you publish your Story that contains a global filter configured with a data source and filtered assets, Story viewers will see the asset filter icon will reflect the Global Filter Bar and Quick Filter Bar filters applied to the asset.

Any individual filters that are overridden by the Global Filter Bar values will be "read only" in the Quick Filter Bar (QFB).

If you have selected a data source for the global filter, but have not chosen columns to filter the Story on, then Story viewers will not see still the global filter component in View mode.

If you have selected a data source for the global filter, and have selected columns to filter the Story on, then Story viewers will see the global filter at the top of the Story containing those columns to filter on.

Presentation Mode of a Story

If you are presenting a Story that contains an active global filter, Story viewers will see the global filter at the top of the Story containing those columns to filter on and the global filter will render on it’s own slide in Presentation Mode.

Unfilterable Assets

Currently, the following will not be filterable by the global filter bar:

• Performance Measures
• Legacy maps
• Legacy visualizations

Filtering or Drill Down on Individual Assets

Filter or Drill Down into an Individual Chart

If you or your Story viewers want to filter or drill down into a chart, you are able to apply any filters that are not currently applied in the global filter bar.

Clearing the Global Filters

Clearing the filters within the global filter bar component will clear all globally applied filters within the Story.

Note: This does not include individual asset filters.

Sharing Your Story

You can easily share filtered stories with other users on your site. Just like a story without a global filter, assets embedded in the page will have their own permissions.

The visibility of the global filter component will be determined by the permissions set for the data source powering it. If you share the story with another user who does not have permission to view that data source, they will not see the global filter bar component.

If a user is added as any type of collaborator on the Story and does not have data source access (i.e. data is private or internal) or if they do not have permissions to specific assets on the page, they will see an empty global filter component and pink error messages on assets that say “Sorry! An error was encountered when rendering this visualization. Contact our support team for help.”