Filters Overview
In PerformancePoint Monitoring Server, a dashboard filter commonly renders as a Web server control on the dashboard page. This control displays a set of enumerated data values and passes the selected values to linked dashboard items.
Filtering process
The filtering process, which begins in Dashboard Designer, occurs across Monitoring Server components.
Defining and creating the filter
In Dashboard Designer, a user defines a filter by using a wizard. Typically, the user specifies the name, description, data source, display method (the type of filter control), and definition for the filter instance. The wizard then creates the filter object and adds it to the dashboard workspace.
The wizard uses a collection of templates to create the filter types and their definitions. Normally, a query in the filter's definition returns a matrix of column and row values. Columns correspond to filter fields and rows correspond to filter values. When the matrix contains multiple columns, a user can choose which field to use as the source of input values for the filter. For more information, see How to: Create Data Providers for Filters.
Note
A filter must define how the columns are used. For example, in How to: Create Data Providers for Filters, the SQL Query Filter uses the first column of the result set as the key field and the second column as the display field. If only one column is returned, it is used as both the key and display field. Additional columns are ignored. This designation of the key and display fields is predefined and cannot be configured by users.
Linking the filter to dashboard items
The user adds the filter to a dashboard page, and then links it to scorecards and reports, which take filter input values at predefined end points. Linking a filter to dashboard items maps the filter's begin point (outbound filter field) to the end point of one or more dashboard items. You can think of these linked dashboard items as subscribers to the filter.
Deploying the filter
The user publishes the dashboard to a SharePoint site. Monitoring Server renders the ASP.NET filter control and the scorecard and report Web Parts. The filter control contains the display names of items that the user can select.
Applying the filter
A dashboard user selects one or more values from the filter control. When the filter selection changes, the filter emits message data as a client-side browser transmission packet. This message data passes the user's selections to subscriber items.
The filter can also emit display condition information. A display condition is an outbound filter that controls the visibility of linked dashboard items. When a filter value is equal to a display condition value, the linked item is shown.
After a user selects a value in the filter control, the linked items send a change request to the server.
Rerendering the dashboard item
The server uses the filter's data provider to obtain the values that correspond to the filter selection, and then rerenders the dashboard items with the new data.
Developing a filter extension
You can create a custom filter extension to use with Monitoring Server. A filter extension commonly includes the following components.
| Component | Description | Used By |
|---|---|---|
Template-based designer |
Creates and edits a filter object. |
Dashboard Designer |
Data provider |
Interacts with the filter's data source. |
Dashboard Designer, Monitoring Server |
Web server control |
Appears on the dashboard as the filter selection control. Note Monitoring Server has several built-in selection controls: List, Tree, and Multi-Select Tree. To use a different control type, you must also include its Web server control. |
Monitoring Server |
See Also
Reference
ParameterUIElement
ParameterDefinition