Filtering data on a report

Purpose of filters

Reports in Targetprocess BI support data filters. Adding a filter is a useful way to see only the data that you want displayed.

Use filters to display specific records in a chart, table, KPI metric, or to export and print only certain records from a chart or query. Filters are compatible with aggregations: it is possible to calculate total count, effort, time spent, or average cycle time only across records that meet the filter criteria. Other items will be hidden and won't participate in calculations.

Two kinds of filters exist in reports:

• Personal filters, which are set up by report viewers privately
• Predefined filters, which are set up by report creators in advance, and can be applied by report viewers later

Basic topic: Personal filters

These filters are quite basic, but yet powerful. They can be set up and applied by any report viewer. Changes made to the personal filters not affect any other viewers.

The personal filters can be applied and cancelled quickly. They allow to hide redundant data temporary. It helps to analyze dat without a need to change permanent settings of a report.

To filter report data, click Filters button. Filters tab expands and allows to add, edit, delete filters.

Add the filters with the help of dedicated menus. Remove filters by pressing the cross (X) icon shown on mouse hover.

The personal filters affect only currently visible view in a report. In a multi-view report, switch across views to configure filters per each view separately.

Advanced topic: Predefined filters

These filters release the full power of Targetprocess flexibility. They are set up by report creators in advance and can be applied by a report viewer later.

The predefined filters serve two major purposes:

• Allow report creators to limit data set in a report. As result, only relevant and allowed data becomes visible to report viewers.
• Allow report creators to define 'presets' of filters. It saves time of report viewers as later they just select and apply a proper preset instead of configuring individual filters over and over.

The predefined filters are divided into three categories — source data filters, view filters, and custom quick filters. All the filters are configured in Set up Report mode.

Source data filters

Source data filters are applied to source data. They affect all views in a report. To change them in an existing report, press Edit source button.

Some source data filters are modified with visual selectors. Other ones are applied as Advanced Filters with the help of free-form DSL query language.

View filters

View filters are applied to a currently visible view in a report. To filter report data, click Filters button.

Filters tab expands and allows to add, edit, delete filters. In a multi-view report, switch across views to configure filters per each view separately.

These filters look similar to personal filters. However they are always applied to viewers who have "view" and don't have "edit" access permissions to the particular report. The filters set by report creators cannot be modified and temporary cancelled by such users.

Those having "edit report" access permissions are allowed to temporary cancel the predefined view filters while browsing a report in "view" mode.

Custom quick filters

Custom quick filters affect all views in a report. They are shown in the report header area.

It is possible to filter report records by Targetprocess entities, by dropdown custom fields, by custom text and numeric values.

Filters by Targetprocess entities allow to filter records by related items. Say, you can filter Features by Epic, Agile Release Train, or Program Increment, filter User Stories and Bugs by Feature or Team Iteration, filter Requests by Product, filter Initiatives by Objectives and so on.

Filters by custom fields allow to show or hide record records based on values in DropDown custom fields. For example, it is possible to create a report by Features with quick filter by Value Type.

Filters by custom values allow to compose flexible filtering conditions: by entity type names, by workflow states, by people names, and anything else that can be searched in a text or numeric field of a report record. It is possible to build a single Cumulative Flow Diagram for User Stories, or Bugs, or both types together without creating a separate report for each of the type. It is also possible to build a portfolio management report, and quickly switch across deliverables and people groups of your portfolio.

To learn more on how to set up and manage these custom filters in reports, please read the following article:

• Custom Quick Filters for Reports