As most dashboards require filters to refine the analyses or change the perspective of the data, it is advisable to include a robust filter pane to boost the usability of the application. After all, selections are the foundation of the associative model, which is one of the most powerful features that QlikView offers.
Only the most relevant fields should be taken into account for this purpose. Once again, it all revolves around your audience and their needs. While high-level dashboards usually require only two or three filters, detailed applications may require much more. In general, avoid including fields that do not add value to the business. Also, try to present them in a logical fashion:
- Group fields that belong together, such as a year, month, quarter, or weekday, in a specific area.
- Order the fields in a hierarchical manner. For instance, if you are creating a filter of the customers, it is a good idea to display the country in the first place, then include the city, and finally to add the customer's name.
After selecting which fields to use, define how you are going to display them:
- List box: This is the most intuitive object; it is easy to read, easy to click on, and lets you appreciate the green-white-gray relationships. Only the most important or commonly used fields should be included in this format.
- Multi box: This is more compact but less intuitive (and also, a bit harder to use). This format should be used for elements that are not part of the main analyses but may come handy in specific situations.
- Search object: If you have too many filters but don't feel comfortable with a 25-field multi box, you can opt to include a search object that serves as a hub for all the users' selections. This is the less intuitive option because it doesn't show any value at all, so it is best suited for analysts who know the information very well.
- Other types of filters: Using a few tricks, other items can also serve as filters. For example, you can create a button that selects multiple fields at once or applies a bookmark.
The way in which you present the filters can contribute to creating a better navigation schema and offer a better user experience. Here are some practical tips in this regard:
- Use business-oriented names. Even though you can change the Title in a list box, it is advisable to change the names directly in the data model. In this way, the users won't get confused when they select the Customer field, but the current selections box displays Cust_Desc_Short.
- Some filters such as year, month, or currency are self-explanatory, so you can omit the caption bar and create cleaner interfaces.
- Depending on the dashboard's layout, it may be beneficial to use list boxes with multiple columns. Just go to the Presentation tab and unselect the Single Column box.
- While displaying more than one column in a list box, you can locate the scroll bar either in the bottom or in the right side of the object (Presentation | Order by Column).
- If you want to save some space, create a container object that shelters multiple filters.
- Depending on the dynamic of the dashboard and the users' level of expertise, it can be beneficial to create drill-down or cyclic filters.
- In order to enrich the user experience and provide more context to the data, you can add expressions to a list box (numbers, gauges, or traffic lights):
- If the information and the dashboard's style allow it, you can even create image-based filters (Presentation | Representation | Image).
- When using multi boxes, restrict the maximum number of items displayed in the drop-down list by going to the Presentation tab and selecting Limit Dropdown to X Lines.
Another option to manage selections is to create a filter pane that you can turn on and off as needed. In this way, you can better exploit the screen space without limiting your users' capacity to select specific elements:
You can follow along this exercise by downloading this chapter's material from https://qlikfreak.wordpress.com/books/. Follow these steps:
- Create a container object to shelter all the filters. Go to the Presentation tab and select Grid in the Container Type field. Also, increase the Spacing parameter to 10 points. This will be the white area that surrounds each box, so it is better to be generous.
- Drag and drop inside the container all the objects that you want to display. A current selections box accompanied by a series of list and multi boxes will work well.
- Create a variable called
vFilterPane(either in the script or by going to Settings | Variable Overview | Add). - Create a button (or a text object) that changes
vFilterPanefrom0to1and vice versa by adding a Set Variable action.
- We want this button to adapt its color and label depending on the content of the variable (whether the filter pane is on or off), so let's define a dynamic Text in the General tab.
- Also, change the button's color by using this formula:
=if(vFilterPane=0, RGB(50, 100, 140), RGB(125, 125, 125))
- Go to the container's Layout tab and tie its visibility to our variable by typing
vFilterPanein the Conditional field. As the contents of this variable are either0or1(a Boolean value), there is no need to add any other logical condition. - In the same tab, choose the Custom Layer option and locate the container on top of the rest of the objects (higher layers cover lower layers).
- Done! We have built a filter pane that will be activated only when needed!