Create a metric set and add a filter
1. Overview
This walkthrough shows you how to create metric sets, add them to a dashboard, and apply filters.
Specifically, you will learn how to:
- Create full screen metric sets based on a data cube.
- Visualize and re-visualize a metric set.
- Display metric sets on a dashboard.
- Add a hierarchy range filter to a dashboard.
- Add a hierarchy filter to a dashboard.
This walkthrough uses a data cube like the one from Using a data cube to join tables, but can be followed with any data source with similar data.
Related video: Introduction to Metric Set Designer
2. Create a new metric set
From the main menu, click New, and then click Metric Set.
The full-screen metric set editor is displayed.
2.1. Set up the metric set based on a data cube
From the Explore window, locate and expand the data cube you created previously (e.g., DataCube1).
Expand the data cube's Measures folder and drag the OrderQty measure to the canvas.
By default, the measure is displayed in a table visualization beside a Data Analysis Panel. The table visualization shows a single aggregated value because no hierarchies have been specified yet.
Next, go to the Explore window and expand your data cube's Dimensions folder. Drag the time dimension hierarchy Year > Month > Day under Rows in the Data Analysis Panel, or drag it onto the canvas and it will be added under Rows in the Data Analysis Panel for you.
Drag the Product hierarchy to Columns in the Data Analysis Panel.
The table visualization is automatically re-visualized to a line chart because this is usually the best choice for visualizing changes to measure values over time.
At any time, you can change to the visualization of your choice by going to the toolbar and clicking Re-Visualize, then choosing an option. Dundas BI will not re-visualize it automatically after you have chosen or customized your visualization.
3. Complete the metric set
To complete the setup of this metric set, go to the toolbar, click Re-Visualize, and then click Bar under Change Chart Type.
The visualization is now changed to a bar chart where each series (i.e., bars of the same color) corresponds to a specific Product Category.
Finally, click Share in the toolbar and check in your metric set so others can use it too.
4. Add a second metric set
Using similar steps as before, create a second metric set as follows:
- Expand the data cube's Measures folder and drag the OrderQty measure to the canvas.
- Expand the data cube's Dimensions folder and drag the FirstName hierarchy to the Rows field of the Data Analysis Panel.
- Drag the Product hierarchy to the Columns field of the Data Analysis Panel.
The resulting data bar table shows person names along the rows axis, and expandable product categories along the columns axis.
Go to the toolbar, click Re-Visualize, and then click Stacked Bar under Change Chart Type. The table visualization is changed to a stacked bar chart showing person names along the X axis and measure values on the Y axis. Each stacked bar series corresponds to a specific Product Category.
Click Share in the toolbar and check in your metric set.
5. Display the metric sets on a dashboard
To automatically create a new dashboard and put the current metric set on it, click the Add To New Dashboard button.
Or, create a new dashboard (use the Blank template) from the main menu.
Go to the Explore window and expand the Metric Sets folder.
Drag the two metric sets you just created to the dashboard canvas (e.g., Metric Set 1 and Metric Set 2). The two metric sets appear as a bar chart and a stacked bar chart, respectively. Observe that the chart types match the re-visualizations you selected when editing each metric set full screen.
6. Using filters on a dashboard
With the metric sets added to a dashboard, you can add dedicated filters that can be used to easily change the filtering while viewing.
6.1. Add a range filter
To automatically connect the new filter with the first chart (the bar chart), click to select it.
Click Filter in the toolbar, and under Hierarchy, choose the Range filter.
A hierarchy Range filter is added to the dashboard and its Filter Visualizations panel displays which data it's connected to. Observe that the filter is already configured to filter the data displayed along the X axis of the first chart.
You can set a default range for the filter by clicking the Default Value regions, which will take effect when anyone first views this dashboard. For example, set a range from 2012 to 2013.
The bar chart on the dashboard is filtered to display data from 2012 to 2013.
To use the range filter as a viewer of the dashboard, click View in the toolbar.
6.2. Add a hierarchy value filter
Switch back to Edit. On the dashboard canvas, select the second (stacked bar) chart. In the toolbar, click Filter, and then choose Value under Hierarchy.
A hierarchy value filter is added to the dashboard. The Filter Visualizations panel shows that the filter is already configured to filter on the FirstName hierarchy, which appears on the X axis of the second chart.
You can choose the default selection for this filter by setting the Default Value as shown in the figure below.
To use the filter directly, click View in the toolbar.
The stacked bar chart is updated according to the filter to show only the chosen members on the X axis.
