Creating Interactions

Create a Filter Interaction

You can create interactions using the interactions view or the Interactions tab in the right pane.

Note: You cannot create interactions from list tables, bubble plots, and scatter plots that use detail data. However, a list table that uses detail data can be the target of an interaction.

Note: Scatter plots cannot be the source of an interaction.

Note: Bubble plots can be the source of an interaction only if they have a Grouping role assigned.

To create a filter interaction using the interactions view:

Add the report objects that you want to use to the report canvas. For example, you might have a bar chart, a line chart, and a list table.
Click Interactions View on the Interactions tab to switch to the interactions view. You can also select View Show Interactions.
In the interactions view, draw a connection between the source and target report objects. When you have created an interaction, the is displayed between the report objects. Here is an example of an interaction between a bar chart (the source) and a list table (the target):

Note: The source and target of an interaction must be based on the same data source.

Creating a Filter Interaction between a Bar Chart and a List Table
Right-click . Then, select Interaction TypeFilter.

Interaction Type Menu
(Optional) Add other filter interactions.
Click Close. The new interaction (or interactions) appears on the Interactions tab in the right pane.

The following example shows the Interactions tab for the filtering example shown in A Filtering Example with a Bar Chart, a Line Chart, and a List Table .

Interactions Tab with Two Interactions Displayed

Select data in the source report object to filter data in the target report object (or objects). In the following example, the promotional product line was selected in the bar chart. Simultaneously, the line chart and the list table show the same filter.

A Filtering Example with a Bar Chart, a Line Chart, and a List Table

Clicking on another selection applies the filter based on your new selection. For example, in the report above, you can click on the game product line to change the filter. An icon is added to the report object that is filtered.

Here is the line chart that was used in the previous example. The incoming filter icon appears above the report object when it is selected in the canvas.

Example of a Report Object with an Incoming Filter

To clear the selection and reset the filter (or filters), press Ctrl+click while viewing the original report object.

To create an interaction using the New button on the Interactions tab:

Select a report object in the canvas. For example, you might have a bar chart.
Select the Interactions tab.
Click New, and then select Interaction. The Edit Interaction window is displayed.

Edit Interaction Window
In the Edit Interaction window, select the report object that you want to use as the source of a filter or brush interaction. For example, if your report has a bar chart, and you want it to filter a line chart, the first line should read Bar Chart 1 filters List Table 1.

The Edit Interaction window disables options for filter or brush interactions if they are not possible.
When you are finished working with interactions, click OK.
The new interaction is displayed in the Interactions tab.

Create a Data Brushing Interaction

To create an interaction using data brushing:

Add the report objects that you want to use to the canvas. For example, you might have a bar chart, a line chart, and a list table.
Select the Interactions tab.
Click Interactions View on the Interactions tab to switch to the interactions view. You can also select View Show Interactions.
In the interactions view, draw a connection between the source and target report objects. When you have created an interaction, the is displayed between the report objects.
Right-click . Then, select Interaction TypeBrush.

Interaction Type Menu with Brush Selected

The filter icon changes to .
Click Close. The new interaction (or interactions) appears on Interactions tab in the right pane.

Select data in the source report object to brush data in the target report object (or objects). In the following example, the stuffed animal product line was selected in the bar chart. Simultaneously, the line chart and the crosstab highlight the same data.

A Data Brushing Example with a Bar Chart, a Line Chart, and a List Table

Note: If a graph contains a frequency measure, then a crosshatch pattern indicates when it is selected or brushed.

The brush interaction between controls behaves differently than a brush interaction between tables and graphs. When there is a brush interaction between controls, instead of highlighting or selecting the values in the other control, the values that match are moved to the top of the control, and the values that do not match are grayed out. If a frequency data item exists, then the frequency value is updated.

Here is an example of a report on cars with three list controls:

Three List Controls with Brush Interactions

The first list contains three countries listed as the Origin. The second list contains six types of vehicles. The third list contains 38 car manufacturing companies. There is a brush interaction between the first list and the second list. There is a second brush interaction between the second list and the third list. Look at the values in the second list.

Example: Three List Controls in a Report

In step 1, the user has selected Europe as the country of Origin in the first list. Notice the changes in the second list. Hybrid and Truck are grayed out, and their frequency values have both changed to 0. In the third list, all of the car manufacturers that are not located in Europe are grayed out, and their frequency values have all changed to 0

Example: Three List Controls in a Report with One Brush Interaction

In step 2, the user has selected Porsche as the car manufacturing company in the third list. Notice the changes in the second list. Hybrid, Sedan, Truck, and Wagon are grayed out, and their frequency values have all changed to 0.

Example: Three List Controls in a Report with Two Brush Interactions