Filters in Platform Analytics

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated August 25, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Filters in Platform Analytics

    Filters in Platform Analytics allow ServiceNow customers to refine lists and data visualizations on both inline and technical dashboards. They enable filtering by data values, boolean conditions (true/false), or date ranges, helping users focus on relevant data efficiently.

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    There are two types of dashboards where filters can be applied:

    • Inline dashboards: Created and edited via the inline dashboard editor, easier to manage and suitable for most users.
    • Technical dashboards: Built and populated in UI Builder, offering greater flexibility but requiring advanced expertise, including custom event handlers for filters.

    Filters on Inline Dashboards

    For inline dashboards, users with edit permissions can create filters directly on the dashboard or add them from a filter library. Filters can be applied either to individual tabs or the entire dashboard.

    Users with the analyticsfilteradmin role can manage filters in the library, including creating new filters via the Filter Designer or copying existing ones.

    To improve efficiency, multiple filters can be grouped into a filter group. This allows configuring several filters to apply or clear simultaneously with a single database call, which is more performant than separate filters.

    When creating a filter, selecting the filter type is the initial step, with further configuration options dependent on this choice.

    Filter Value Retention

    • Inline dashboards: Filters retain their values across user logins and page refreshes. However, if a filter’s configuration is edited, it resets to default values for all users on their next login or refresh.
    • Technical dashboards: Filters do not retain values across logins or refreshes, except when dashboards are added to a Dashboards page.
    • When exporting dashboards, inline dashboard filter values are preserved automatically in Microsoft PowerPoint exports and optionally in PDF exports. Filter values are not retained when exporting technical dashboards.

    Domain Filters

    For domain-separated instances, visualizations can be filtered by domain using a distinct component called a domain filter. This enables multi-domain data segregation and filtering within analytics.

    Filter lists and data visualizations on an inline or technical dashboard. Filter by possible data value, by whether the value is true or false, or by date.

    The preceding video illustrates how to create a filter, in this case a multi-select filter for table data.

    You can create a filter for either an inline dashboard or a technical dashboard. Inline dashboards are those dashboards created and populated in the inline dashboard editor. Technical dashboards are populated in the UI Builder and are more flexible but require considerably more expertise. For example, on a technical dashboard, you have to create custom event handlers for filters to apply to lists or data visualizations.

    Filters on inline dashboards

    For inline dashboards, you can either create a filter directly on the dashboard through the inline editor, or you can add a filter to the dashboard from the filter library. In either case, you can add filters to a specific tab or have them apply to the entire dashboard. To take these actions, you only need the right to edit the dashboard.

    If you have the analytics_filter_admin role, you can also create a filter for the library through the Filter Designer or copy an existing filter to the library.

    The filter applies to those data visualizations and list components that contain a target of the filter.

    If you want to put multiple filters on your dashboard, consider adding a filter group. In a filter group, you configure several filters and apply or clear them with one action, making only one call to the database. A filter group may therefore be more efficient than multiple separate filters.

    When you create a filter, you first specify the filter type. All further configuration options depend on the selected type.
    Important:
    When using this documentation, first select a topic for creating a filter. After you create a filter and select the filter type, follow the appropriate topic for configuring a filter of that type.

    Retaining filter values

    On inline dashboards, filters retain their values across logins or page refreshes. However, these values are no longer retained when someone edits the filter configuration. Afterward, the filter reverts to its default values for all users on their next login or page refresh. On technical dashboards and pages created in UI Builder, filters do not retain values across logins or refreshes. For an exception, see Add a dashboard to a Dashboards page.

    Filter values can also be retained when you export an inline dashboard. When you export a dashboard to Microsoft PowerPoint, filter values are applied automatically. When you export a dashboard to PDF, you have the option whether or not to retain filter values. Filter values are not retained when you export a technical dashboard. For more information, see Export a Platform Analytics dashboard.

    Domain filters

    You can filter visualizations by domain on domain-separated instances. Domain filtering uses a different component. For more information, see Create a domain filter.