Tags:
• Project Owner
• Creator

Global filters are a unique and powerful way to change overall data displays in Harmoni. They are a top-level filter option that is applied to the project, view, story, and dashboard. 

When a global filter is active, views will be filtered only to show applicable data to that filter. This filtering occurs on the fly and will be seen in projects, analyses, stories, and dashboard displays.

Global filters allow you to tailor the view of data to a specific group or individual; this helps ensure privacy and targets data displays to specific areas of interest.

The application of Global filters is driven by a combination of personalization keys, meta-data input in the form of an excel spreadsheet, data inclusions defined in the Project, and the settings applied to the analysis view when saved to a story.

 

In this article

1. Personalization keys
2. Global filters spreadsheet
   • Exceptions at the header level
   • Exceptions at the axis level
   • Exceptions at the element level

 

1. Personalization keys

Filter specifications need to be set in the admin console. At this stage, this needs to be done by Infotools. As with all personalization keys, these can be set at the Site, Group or User levels.

 

What	Description	Personalization Key	Setting
Global Filters Enabled	Used to turn on the ability to use Global filters. Determines if Global filters are switched on or off.	Menu.GlobalFilter.EnableView	True or False True - displays the Global Filter toggle at the top right of the analysis pane.
Ability to change the default Global Filter	Set whether global filters can be changed. Limit what users can see to ensure privacy target data displays.	Menu.GlobalFilter.EnableChange	True or False True - allows the user to change across filter options. False - will limit the filters to pre-set definitions (i.e. department, region or market).
Filtering Axis	The axis containing the distinguishing characteristic to filter on.	Menu.GlobalFilter.Category	Axis name This will be the default when global filters are on. For example, use the axis Country if you want filters to work at the Country level or Region if you want them to work at a regional level. Axis must exist in your project and be defined in your global filters spreadsheet.
Filtering Element	The default element within the axis specified in the filtering axis (Menu.GlobalFilter.Category key).	Menu.GlobalFilter.Option	Element name This will be the default when global filters are on. The element must exist in your project and be defined in your global filters spreadsheet.
Global filter upload	Used to turn on the ability to upload the global filters file.	Menu.GlobalFilter.Upload	True or False True - allows the user to upload the global filter file.

 

Enable change - True

In the example above Global filters have been enabled and set up to allow for the user to change. The axis is Country of Origin and the element NZ are the default when Global Filters are on but the user can interact with the filters.

 

 

 

Enable change - False

 

In the example above Global filters have been enabled but the user is not allowed to change. The axis Country of Origin and the element NZ are the default when Global Filters are on. In this case, the user can only see NZ (i.e. can't interact with the filters).

 

 

 

2. Global filters spreadsheet

The global filters spreadsheet identifies the axis (or axes) and/or elements displayed in the global filters dropbox as well as in the project tree that can be then used for analysis and reporting.

In the file, you don't need to list each and every single item, you only need to identify the exceptions. In other words, you need to include the items you want to limit to a particular group.  Items that don't need to be filtered don't need to be added in the exceptions file.

It is important not to have any special formatting on your file (i.e., bold, italics, etc.). You can remove cell formatting in Excel using the Clear Formats option.  This will not affect the contents of the cells.

 

 

 

  

Globalfilter.xlsx

The spreadsheet must be called globalfilter.xlsx (all lowercase!) and can be uploaded and downloaded within Infotools Harmoni by clicking on the Globe next to the Global Filters interface.

 

 

Once a global filter file is loaded to your site, you can still make changes to it. We recommend that when you need to make changes, always download the global filter file first, and use this latest version to make changes to. Once updated, upload the file.

 

• To upload, click the globe icon and select upload.
• Select your globalfilter.xlsx file.
• Harmoni will ask you if you want to overwrite the existing file.
• Click to overwrite button to upload the new file.

 

Label exceptions can be set at the Header, Axis or Element level.

• The first three columns of the spreadsheet are used to identify the items that the exception entries relate to.
• Following that, there is a field for each Global Filter Category. You can have multiple Global filter categories.

 

Header	Axis	Element	Axis (Menu.GlobalFilter.Category)
Header Name	Axis Name	Element Name	Element (Menu.GlobalFilter.Option)

 

a) Exceptions at the header level

• If an exception is set at the header level, everything under that header is only displayed when the global filter is set to the option(s) mentioned in the global filter category field.
• When specifying an exception at the header level, no entry is required in the axis or element fields.
• If applying a global filter to a grid, the grid name must be specified in the Header field.

 Example:

• The CONSUMPTION section (header) has been filtered to be available only when the Country of Origin (Menu.GlobalFilter.Category) is USA (Menu.GlobalFilter.Option).

• The Brand Image Grid (header) and axes within the Grid have been filtered to be available only when the Country of Origin (Menu.GlobalFilter.Category) is NZ (Menu.GlobalFilter.Option).

 

 

 

b) Exceptions at the axis level

If an exception is set at the axis level, the axis, and every element in it is only displayed when the global filter is set to the option(s) mentioned in the global filter category field.

• When specifying an exception to an axis, no entry is required in the header or element fields.
• If applying a global filter to an axis within a grid, the grid name must be specified in the header field and the axis name in the axis field.

Example:

• The axis Region - NZ  has been filtered to be available only when the Country of Origin (Menu.GlobalFilter.Category) is NZ (Menu.GlobalFilter.Option).

 

 

 

c) Exceptions at the element level

• If an exception is set at the element level, that element is only displayed when the global filter is set to the option(s) mentioned in the global filter category field.
• If an item is required for multiple options of a category, then the same Header/Axis/Element combination must appear on multiple rows, one for each category option it needs to appear in.

Example:

• For the axis Favorite Ice Cream Brand, certain brands (elements) have been filtered to be available only when Country of Origin (Menu.GlobalFilter.Category) is NZ, USA or UK (Menu.GlobalFilter.Option). Brands not included in this list will be displayed for all markets.

• Country elements (NZ, UK or USA) have been filtered to only be available when the Country of Origin (Menu.GlobalFilter.Category) is the relevant market (Menu.GlobalFilter.Option).

 

 

 

Where to from here?

Learn more about global filters.

• Global filters - analysis and reporting
• Global filters - settings when saving a story

 

Useful Resources

 Example of global filters spreadsheet