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Connect a filter to a report or a scorecard by using Dashboard Designer

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Applies to: SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise

You can use PerformancePoint Dashboard Designer to create, configure, and deploy dashboards in your organization. When you create your dashboards, you can include one or more filters in your dashboard pages, and then link those filters to scorecards and reports. Filters are dashboard elements that you can create and attach to scorecards and reports to restrict the kinds of content that you want to display. For example, you can include a Time filter that dashboard users can use to view information for a specific time period.

Tip

This article describes how to connect a dashboard filter to a report or a scorecard. In Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 SP1, you can configure cascading filters, which means that you can connect one filter to another. For more information, see Configure cascading filters by using Dashboard Designer (SharePoint Server 2010 SP1).

Dashboard filters vary in appearance and functionality, but typically resemble lists or expandable trees. For example, in the picture that is shown here, we have a filter called "Year" that uses a list control.

Year filter that displays as a list

Dashboard users select an item from the list, and any reports or scorecards that are connected to it refresh automatically to display the specific information.

As another example, in the picture that is shown here, we have a filter called "Geography" that uses a multi-select tree control.

A Geography filter that uses a multi-select tree

Dashboard users click the filter to expand it. Then, users expand the All node to see the options that are available. Next, users click the check boxes of the items that they want to include in the filter, and then click Apply. Any reports or scorecards that are connected to the filter update automatically to display the results.

To connect a filter to a report or a scorecard by using Dashboard Designer

  1. In Dashboard Designer, locate the Workspace Browser on the left side of the window, and then click PerformancePoint Content. The center pane displays two tabs: SharePoint and Workspace.

  2. Double-click the dashboard that you want to change to open it.

  3. In the Details pane on the right side of the window, expand the list of available filters. Drag the filter that you want to use to a dashboard zone.

  4. Within the filter box that you added to the dashboard, click the down arrow located to the right side of the filter name, and then click Create Connection. The Connection dialog box appears, which enables you to configure the connection between the filter and dashboard item.

  5. Click the Items tab. In the Send values to list, select the report or scorecard that you want to connect to the filter.

  6. Click the Values tab, and then select a combination of values by using the Connect to list and the Source value list.

    Depending on how the scorecard is configured, the list of options that are available in the Connect to and Source value lists will vary. By using these lists, you can choose from many combinations. For example, you can select a page, row, or column in one list, and Display Value or Member Unique Name in the other list.

    Although it might seem as if you can select any combination of values in the Connect to and Source value lists, not all combinations will work correctly. You will not see whether a filter connection works until you publish the dashboard to a SharePoint site, such as a designated location where you can preview and test the dashboard.

    Some examples of combinations that work are listed in the following table.

    Connect to list item Source value list item Description

    Dimension Hierarchies on Rows or Columns

    Member Unique Name

    This configuration causes the filter to replace rows or columns in a report or scorecard to be replaced with the item or items that dashboard consumers select by using the filter.

    Axis, Page, Row, Column, or Row (or Column) Hierarchies

    Display Value

    This configuration causes member captions from a report or scorecard’s underlying database to be displayed in the report or scorecard when the filter is applied. (Member captions resemble labels like "Baseball Bats" or "Baseball Gloves.")

    TI formula (This only applies to Time Intelligence filters.)

    Formula

    This configuration only works with PerformancePoint scorecards. It uses a Time Intelligence formula and causes the scorecard to display information for the specified time period.

    Current date-time (This only applies to Time Intelligence filters.)

    Current date-time

    This configuration only works with PerformancePoint scorecards. It does not require a Time Intelligence formula and causes the scorecard to display information as of the current date.

    Time dimension (This only applies to Time Intelligence filters.)

    Data source

    This configuration works with analytic charts and grids. It uses a Time Intelligence formula and causes the analytic chart or grid to display information for the specified time period.

  7. To apply a formula that additionally filters the content, click the Connection Formula button. The Connection Formula dialog box appears.

    In the Connection Formula dialog box, type a formula that will be applied to filter the data before it reaches the report or scorecard. Depending on the filter that you are connecting, the formula that you specify can include a Time Intelligence statement or an MDX query. For example, if you are connecting a Time Intelligence Connection Formula filter to a report or a scorecard, you can only specify a Time Intelligence statement.

    After you have specified your formula, click OK to close the Connection Formula dialog box.

  8. Click OK to close the Connection dialog box. In the center pane of the workspace, in the Connections box for the report or scorecard, you can see the name of the filter that you have connected to it.

  9. In the Workspace Browser, right-click the dashboard and then click Save. Deploy the dashboard to view and test the filter connection.

    Important

    When you connect a filter to a report or a scorecard, you can create an invalid filter connection that will only become visible when you view the dashboard in its SharePoint site. When an invalid filter connection is made, a report or scorecard displays unexpected content or an error message. If this occurs, reconfigure the filter connection.

See Also

Concepts

Create a dashboard filter by using Dashboard Designer
Overview of PerformancePoint dashboard filters and connections