Data filtering is the process of selecting a subsegment of your data or spreadsheet to focus on a specific group. The data filter is used to include or exclude specific values for data analysis or visualization.
How a filter works in AnswerMiner?
Data filtering is one of the most important steps in data mining and exploratory data analysis. This is why we decided to redesign this feature in AnswerMiner and also if we were there we added some extra ingredients to make it spicy.
In this guide, we will walk you through all the steps using data filtering in AnswerMiner so after reading it you will be able to utilize the most out of the platform.
From now filters are available and editable from every view. You will be always aware of what filters are active and taking effect on the analysis.
Add new filter
There are three places where you work with filters. The filter bar is the ultimate panel that provides you all the filter functionalities the other two are for adding new filters.
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The filter bar
The filter bar is on the top of the screen. It is always available. There you can add new, pause, edit, or delete filters on all levels. This bar also has an indicator that graphically and numerically shows the filtered number of rows.
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Column header in Smart Data View
You can add a new filter on the Data View by clicking on the ""+ Filter"" button. It is placed in the header for each variable. This will be a global filter.
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Left sidebar
The left sidebar is always visible and available in AnswerMiner, this is why it is a great place to have quick functions. When you hover your mouse over a variable on the sidebar, three dots will appear. By clicking on the dots an option list will pop up, where you can add a new filter. This will be a global filter.
Edit filter
After adding a filter to your analysis you can always edit them. We took an example from webshops or booking websites where filtering is simple and quickly manageable so we take all the good ideas and built them into AnswerMiner.
To edit a filter click on the box of the filter and change the conditions, logic, include/exclude new values. When all set, click on the “Apply filter” button. If you click “cancel” your changes will be unsaved.
Pausing and deleting a filter
Deleting a filter is an obvious functionality while pausing is something more. This is a useful feature especially if you are working with multiple filters or if you just want to check the effect of a filter. It works like a pause/play button on music players.
Filter logics
Different filter conditions can be applied at the same time with an AND or OR rules. This is available by clicking on the filter box on the filter bar and adding more conditions.
What are the filter levels in AnswerMiner?
There are three levels of filters in AnswerMiner. The global, chart, and canvas filter. Each of them has its own roles for different stages of the analysis.
Global filter
The global filter is for exploring the data. It is available in every view except in the chart customization and Canvas creation screen. For those are the chart filter and canvas filter.
Chart filter
The chart filter is available only in the chart customization view it is applied only for that specific chart.
Canvas filter
The canvas filter is available in the Canvas view and it has an effect on the Canvas and every chart placed on it.
Let’s take an example.
In this dataset, we have sales data. We want to know how many transactions were made by year in the USA and we are only interested in large and medium transactions.
So we go to the Suggested chart page and select the “Orderdate” column.We add “Country filter” and “Dealsize filter”. These filters will work as Global filters.
After that, we select the column chart on the top right corner, which shows the number of medium and large transactions in the USA by year.
In the chart customization view, we add one more filter to analyze one product type which is “Classic Cars”. The column chart inherits the global filter and also has the one that we just added.
When we are satisfied with the chart we save it and add it to a Canvas. As the images show there is no added filter yet on the Canvas. The small triangles on the top right corner of the charts indicate that the chart is filtered down (Global or Chart filter).
When we add a Canvas filter all the charts placed on it will be filtered down, but only them. In the following image, we added a numerical filter for ordered quantities by transactions between 6-35.
As can be seen, all the visualization is changed on our Canvas.
Bonus Tip - CTRL+SHIFT+F
With the CTRL+SHIFT+F combination (both on MAC and Windows) a search bar will appear that you can use for finding values and add filters quickly.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us at info@answerminer.com or request an onboarding session at https://www.answerminer.com/request-onboarding
