Conditional filters and operators for indicators and breakdowns

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated October 28, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Conditional filters and operators for indicators and breakdowns

    Conditional filters for indicator data are essential for optimizing data visualization in ServiceNow. These filters cascade from indicator and breakdown sources to data visualizations, influencing data collection efficiency. It is crucial to apply conditions correctly to avoid collecting unused data and ensure optimal performance.

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    Key Features

    • Conditional Filters: Can be applied to both automated indicators and their sources. It's advisable to place common conditions at the indicator source level.
    • Validation: To verify the conditions, list indicators for an indicator source including the Conditions field to ensure at least one indicator utilizes the applied conditions.
    • Limitations: Avoid referencing Roles in indicator conditions and ensure at least one breakdown is associated with dot-walked fields.
    • Unsupported Operators: Certain operators like "greater than" or "less than" are not supported for indicators but can be used on the indicator source conditions.
    • Dynamic Breakdown Conditions: Filtering options like "is one of" and "is (dynamic)" depend on the configuration of the indicator, including aggregation methods and breakdown field types.

    Key Outcomes

    By effectively utilizing conditional filters and operators, ServiceNow customers can improve data collection accuracy, enhance visualization quality, and ensure that their indicators reflect meaningful and relevant data. Proper configuration prevents errors and optimizes performance in data aggregation.

    Conditional filters for indicator data cascade from indicator and breakdown sources up to data visualizations. Where conditions are applied can affect data collection efficiency. Some condition operators are only available at some levels, or in some conditions.

    Conditional filters on indicators and indicator sources

    Conditional filters can be applied to both automated indicators and indicator sources. In general, conditions that are applied to all indicators with the same source should be applied on the indicator source. To verify that your conditions are well designed, list the indicators for an indicator source and include the Conditions field in the view. You should have at least one indicator that only uses the conditions on the indicator source. Otherwise, your indicator source is probably collecting unused data. In this case, consider moving common conditions from the indicators to the indicator source, or splitting the indicator source.
    List of indicators for the Incidents.Open indicator source, showing that some do not have conditions on the indicator
    Warning:
    To avoid a data collection job completing with errors, follow these limitations:
    • Do not add a condition that references Roles to an indicator. You can reference the Roles table only in an indicator source.
    • If you define conditions that refer only to dot-walked fields, you must associate at least one breakdown with the indicator.

    In general, try to avoid dot-walking to sys_id or the display value of a table, as doing so creates unnecessary table joins.

    Unsupported operators on indicator conditions

    The following operators are not supported on indicators. You can use these operators on the indicator source conditions instead:
    • keywords
    • greater than field
    • less than field
    • greater than or is field
    • less than or is field

    "Is one of" and "Is (Dynamic)" operators on breakdown conditions in data visualizations

    When you select an indicator data source for a data visualization, you have the option to filter the scores by breakdown element.
    Conditional filter for indicator data source on data visualization.
    The availability of the "is one of" and "is (dynamic)" operators depends on how you configure the indicator. The indicator must support multi-element aggregates. The required configuration settings follow:
    Is one of
    • The aggregation method must not be AVG or COUNT DISTINCT. This requirement applies to automated indicators including the contributing indicators of formula indicators.
    • If the indicator is a formula indicator, the Allow aggregation of multiple breakdown element scores option must be on.
    Is (dynamic)
    • The aggregation method must not be AVG or COUNT DISTINCT. This requirement applies to automated indicators including the contributing indicators of formula indicators.
    • The field in the breakdown source must be a reference field.
    • An elements filter must be defined for the breakdown source, and this elements filter must have a dynamic conditional filter. For an example, see the Me elements filter on an instance. For more information, see Element filters.
    • If the indicator is a formula indicator, the Allow aggregation of multiple breakdown element scores option must be on.