How to filter a filter in SAS VA

[jenny]

Hi,

I am trying to understand how to filter a filter in SAS VA but am not having much luck! From my understanding I need to use a parameter.

I have two report filters in a section and I want filter 1 to filter filter 2, these are both character filters. For example if filter 1 showed continents and filter 2 showed countries and you selected Europe from filter 1 I want to only show the countires of Europe in filter 2, not all of them.  

Many thanks for your help 🙂

Jenny

[MichelleHomes]

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for posting your question. From what you describe it seems that the terminology you are using may be different to the terminology that is used within SAS Visual Analytics which may be complicating things.

A filter in SAS Visual Analytics is regarded as a way to subset the underlying data by building a where clause using the Filter tab in the right pane. There are various ways to do set up a filter as described at http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/vaug/68648/HTML/default/viewer.htm#p06et8z817thcvn1mm32z...

If you have a list control object that contains continents and you want to select Europe and then another list control object will only show the countries in Europe then this is achieved by setting up a filter type "Interaction" on the control objects.

If you have the 2 control objects displaying the values for continents and countries then click on the Interactions tab in the right pane. Here you can define the interaction or you can click on the Interaction View button (my preferred way to set up interactions). In this view, you simply drag a line from the Europe list control object and drop it to the country list control object. By default a filter-type Interaction is defined between the 2 control objects. Click on Close in the bottom right corner to return back to your report view.

Now when you make a selection it will "filter" the values as you expect.

Please let us know whether this is what you were after. You may want to have a look at the Getting Started guide at http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/vaxnrgs/68690/HTML/default/viewer.htm#titlepage.htm

Kind Regards,

Michelle

[jenny]

Hi,

Many thanks for your response and clarifying the terminology used, that makes more sense now! I am new to all this!!! 🙂

When I tried to do an interaction between two drop down lists it doesn't give me the option to choose an interaction, as you can see from my attached picture.

Thanks,

Jenny

[MichelleHomes]

Hi Jenny,

I understand. I teach SAS Visual Analytics courses for SAS and recognise that the terminology can be like learning a new speaking language. I highly recommend you spending some time to go through the getting started guide or a course if you can. It will rapidly ramp up your understanding of the product and productivity.

On the Interactions Tab, click on the "Interaction View" button and the centre screen will change to the Interaction View to allow you to do this.

This also assumes that your drop down lists are in the report area and not placed in a report prompt area or section prompt area.

Kind Regards,

Michelle

[jenny]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice, that definitely sounds the best way forward!

I think the problem was because I have the drop down lists in the section prompt area, when I put them in the report area it works!

Is there a way to have the drop downs interacting if they are in the section or report prompt area? I had read somewhere this used a parameter but I have probably misunderstood!

Thanks,

Jenny

[MichelleHomes]

Hi Jenny,

Great to hear you have the interactions working as expected in the report area. Well done!

Yes for interactions between prompts in a report prompt area or section prompt area a parameter would be needed. Here is a good introductory blog post about parameters that may help http://blogs.sas.com/content/sgf/2015/01/29/using-parameters-in-sas-visual-analytics/

Kind Regards,

Michelle

[Explore_SAS]

we can not put filters between section and report level dropdown, the other way you can do it is, add them in report window in a horizontal container.

[TejaSurapaneni · Accepted solution]

Hello Jenny,

Thank you Michelle for your valuable guidence.

Explore_SAS is correct, you can't create interaction between two controls at section prompt.

but there is an alternative, you can achieve this by passing parameter. 

Create Character Parameter.

assign the parameter to filter1.

for filter2 you have to put conditional filter (Which is on Right Handed side Pane FILTERS).

IF ( 'Region'n Contains 'Region..'p )
RETURN ( 'Circle'n = 'Circle'n )
ELSE ( 'Circle'n Missing )

Or

IF ( 'Region'n Contains 'Region..'p )
RETURN ( 'Circle'n NotMissing )
ELSE ( 'Circle'n Missing ).

Present i am working on this to show in much better way..

Let me know......

Thanks & Regards,

Teja Surapaneni

[jenny]

Hi,

Thank you for this solution. We found a way to use the parameters to enable the drop downs to interact in prompt areas using a very similar method to the one you gave 🙂

Thanks again for getting back to me 🙂

Jenny