Setting up variables for dashboard queries, filtering data, and panel title values

As a tenant administrator or an editor, you can configure variables, which work as placeholders for values that you can use in dashboard queries and panel titles. Instead of hard-coding details such as server name or application name, use variables in your queries so that the system picks up the details at run time.

You can see variables in dropdown lists at the top of a dashboard.

Related topic

Setting up dashboards

Building queries to fetch data

Copying reports and dashboards from BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting to BMC Helix Dashboards

To add a variable

On a dashboard, click Dashboard settings in the upper-right corner.
The General tab opens by default.
On the left navigation bar, click Variables.
On the Variables page, click New.
Depending on the variable type that you select, add the remaining options. For more information about variable types, click here .
Click Add.
On the left navigation pane, click Save dashboard.

Important

For Service Management queries, when Query is selected as the Type, you need to specify the SQL query variable in a specified format. Here is an example of the SQL query variable format:

remedy,{"sql": "Select Distinct case when `CHG:Infrastructure Change`.`ASGRP` is not null then `CHG:Infrastructure Change`.`ASGRP` else 'Unknown' end from `CHG:Infrastructure Change` limit 500"}

To copy a variable

On a dashboard, click Dashboard settings in the upper-right corner.
On the left navigation bar, click Variables.
On the Variables page, click Duplicate Variable against a variable. You can see the variable copied on the same page.
Click the copied variable and edit it as required.
On the left navigation pane, click Save dashboard.

To edit a variable

On a dashboard, click the Dashboard settings icon in the upper right corner.
On the left navigation bar, click Variables.
On the Variables page, click a variable.
Make your changes and click Update.
On the left navigation pane, click Save dashboard.

To delete a variable

On a dashboard, click Dashboard settings icon in the upper-right corner.
On the left navigation bar, click Variables.
On the Variables page, click Remove Variable against the variable that you want to delete.
On the left navigation pane, click Save dashboard.

To configure the variable for supported report formats

As a tenant administrator or editor, you can configure the supported report formats for any of the out-of-the-box BMC Helix ITSM Printable dashboards or any custom dashboard using the supported_report_types variable. After you specify the supported report formats by using this variable, users will only see those formats when they download or schedule reports:

On a dashboard, click Dashboard settings in the upper-right corner.
The General tab opens by default.
On the navigation bar, click Variables.
Click supported_report_types variable from the list of variables.
From the Hide menu, select Variable.
In the Values separated by comma field, specify the supported report types, separated by commas, and click Update.
For example, specify PDF,XLS,CSV to enable users to download dashboards or schedule reports in all three formats.