Apply and Clear Dashboard Slicer Filters Using Button Widgets

Overview

Many dashboard consumers prefer a filtering experience, where they can make selections across multiple filters and apply all changes simultaneously using a single Apply button. This approach allows users to review their filter selections before refreshing the dashboard, resulting in a more controlled and user-friendly experience.

To address this requirement, Bold BI version 16.2.5 introduced support for applying and clearing slicer filters through Button Widget actions. Using Button Widgets, dashboard designers can provide dedicated Apply Filters and Clear Filters controls, enabling an experience similar to Power BI's filter workflow.

Business Scenario

Consider a dashboard that contains multiple slicers such as:

• Country
• Region
• Product Category
• Sales Representative
• Fiscal Year

Users may want to:

1. Select values across several slicers.
2. Review their selections.
3. Apply all filter changes together.
4. Reset all filters when required.

Instead of triggering dashboard refreshes after every individual filter selection, Button Widget actions allow users to apply all slicer selections with a single click.

Configure an Apply Filters Button

Follow these steps to create an Apply Filters button:

Step 1: Open the Dashboard

Open the required dashboard in the Bold BI Dashboard Designer.

Step 2: Add Slicer Widgets

Ensure that all required slicer widgets are already added and configured in the dashboard.

Examples include:

• Country slicer
• Product slicer
• Date slicer
• Department slicer

Step 3: Add a Button Widget

1. Drag and drop a Button Widget onto the dashboard.
2. Position it in a suitable location near the slicers for easy access.

Step 4: Configure Button Text

1. Select the Button Widget.
2. Open the widget properties panel.
3. Change the button label to:

Apply Filters

Step 5: Configure the Button Action

1. Navigate to Properties → Action.
2. Under Type, select:

Apply All Slicers

This action applies all pending slicer selections across the dashboard when users click the button.

Result

Users can now:

1. Select values in multiple slicers.
2. Continue adjusting other slicers without immediately affecting dashboard data.
3. Click Apply Filters to update all widgets at once.

Configure a Clear Filters Button

To allow users to quickly reset slicer selections, create a second button.

Step 1: Add Another Button Widget

1. Drag and drop a second Button Widget onto the dashboard.
2. Place it next to the Apply Filters button.

Step 2: Configure Button Text

Rename the button to:

Clear Filters

Step 3: Configure the Button Action

1. Navigate to Properties → Action.
2. Under Type, select:

Clear All Slicers

This action removes all current slicer selections and restores the default filter state.

Result

When users click Clear Filters, all slicer selections are cleared simultaneously.

User Experience Flow

The following workflow provides a Power BI-like filtering experience:

1. User selects multiple values across several slicers.
2. Dashboard widgets remain unchanged until filters are confirmed.
3. User clicks Apply Filters.
4. All dashboard widgets refresh based on the selected slicer values.
5. If required, the user clicks Clear Filters to remove all slicer selections.

Benefits

Using Button Widget slicer actions provides several advantages:

• Improved usability for business users
• Reduced unnecessary dashboard refreshes
• Better control over filter execution
• Simplified handling of multiple slicer selections

Best Practices

Consider the following recommendations when implementing this feature:

• Place Apply Filters and Clear Filters buttons close to slicer widgets.
• Use clear button labels that users can easily understand.
• Maintain consistent button styling across dashboards.
• For dashboards with many slicers, position the buttons in a dedicated filter panel.

Conclusion

Starting with Bold BI 16.2.5, dashboard designers can use Button Widget Actions to apply and clear slicer filters on demand. This functionality allowing users to make multiple selections across slicers and apply them simultaneously with a single button click. For organizations seeking a more controlled and user-friendly dashboard filtering experience, this feature offers an effective and intuitive solution.

Documentation:

 Button Widget – Embedded BI | Bold BI Documentation