Create a Metric Set and Add a Filter

This applies to: Managed Dashboards, Managed Reports

This walkthrough shows you how to create metric sets, add them to a dashboard, and connect filters.

Specifically, you will learn how to:

Create metric sets to analyze data.
Change the visualization.
Combine the metric sets on a dashboard.
Connect a filter to both visualizations.

This walkthrough uses a data cube like the one from used here, but can be followed with any data source with similar data.

Note: You can also create metric sets directly in a dashboard or other view, and these are saved as part of the view rather than in the Metric Sets folder. SeeView Data With a Chart and Drill Down.

Create a New Metric Set

From the main menu, select Business, then select Create.

The full-screen metric set editor is displayed.

Set Up the Metric Set Based on a Data Cube

There are multiple options available from this screen for choosing your data source such as a data cube or data connector.

In this example, we located a data cube in the Explore window and clicked to expand it and its Measures subfolder, then dragged the Order Qty measure to the canvas.

You can also click to Select an existing data structure, then find and select the same measure in the dialog that opens.

Drag measure to canvas

By default, the first data you choose is displayed in a table visualization beside a Data Analysis Panel. There is a single aggregated total value because no hierarchies have been added to group it.

In the Explore window, expand the data cube's Dimensions folder, then drag Order Date to Rows and Product to Columns in the Data Analysis Panel. Alternatively, you can click to add them in the Data Analysis Panel, choosing them from a list of data from your existing data source.

Drag hierarchies

If you haven't chosen or customized a visualization yet, the table visualization is automatically re-visualized to a line chart because this is usually the best choice for visualizing changes to measure values overtime.

A line chart visualizes order quantities over time for each product category

At any time, you can select Re-Visualize in the toolbar and make your own selection: it will not be re-visualized automatically after you have chosen or customized a visualization yourself.

Complete the Metric Set

To complete the setup of this metric set, click Re-Visualize in the toolbar, then select Bar Chart (or Bar under Change Chart Type).

Re-visualize as bar chart

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.

Bar chart showing multiple series

If you want to allow others to use this metric set, click Share in the toolbar and check it in.

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 Order Qty measure to the canvas.
Expand the data cube's Dimensions folder and drag the First Name hierarchy to Rows in the Data Analysis Panel.
Drag the Product hierarchy to Columns in the Data Analysis Panel.

A data bar table may be chosen as the visualization automatically, showing person names along the rows axis, and expandable product categories along the columns axis.

Table showing person names and product categories

Select Re-Visualize in the toolbar, then select Stacked Bar under Charts.

The table visualization is changed to a stacked bar chart showing person names along the bottom axis and measure values on the left axis. Each color in the stacked bars corresponds to a specific product category.

Stacked bar chart

Click Share in the toolbar and check in this metric set too if you want to.

Display the Metric Sets on a Dashboard

To automatically create a new dashboard and put the current metric set on it, click Add To New Dashboard in the toolbar of a metric set. Otherwise, click main menu and then click Create to create a dashboard.

Go to the Explore window, expand the Metric Sets folder, and drag the metric sets from earlier or the remaining one onto the dashboard canvas. Observe that they are visualized using the same options you chose.

Drag metric sets onto the dashboard

Note: A single metric set can be visualized multiple times and in different ways. The visualizations above are now independent from the one set up in the metric set editor, and you can choose to customize or re-visualize the ones just on this dashboard.

Use Filters on a Dashboard

With the metric sets added to a dashboard, you can add dedicated filters that can be used to more easily filter the data while viewing. For example, you can add one filter used to choose the products displayed in both charts at once.

If one of the charts is selected, select an empty area of the canvas to de-select it if you don't want to filter only that chart (as in this example).
Click Filter in the toolbar, and then choose Value under Hierarchy.

Adding a hierarchy value filter

In the filter connections popup that appears next to the new filter, scroll down if necessary and confirm that Product in both charts is selected for filtering.
You can choose the default selection for this filter by setting the Default Value as shown in the image below.