# Filtering Filters help you control the information displayed on your dashboards. You can apply filters temporarily whilst viewing a dashboard, or set up persistent filters that remain applied across sessions. ## What you can do with filters As a dashboard viewer: - Apply temporary user filters to explore data on-the-fly - Add categories from tiles to your filters by selecting them - Use [Drilldowns]() on tiles and build complex filter combinations As a dashboard editor: - Apply persistent filters to specific tiles - Enable searchable filtering across the dashboard - Filter the entire dashboard automatically - Provide predefined filter options for viewers to use ## Types of filters Orbit offers six types of filters to suit different use cases: - [**User filters**](): Temporary filters that any dashboard user can apply in view mode - [**Tile filters**](): Persistent filters applied to individual tiles - [**Search filters**](): Custom search boxes allowing viewers to search across specific variables - [**Dashboard filters**](): Persistent filters that apply to every tile on the dashboard - [**Predefined filters**](): Pre-configured filter variables that viewers can populate with their own values - [**Analysis filters**](): A special filter type that only affects profile tiles > [!NOTE] > > **Example use cases** > > **Appeal performance analysis** > > Your fundraising team wants to compare how appeals perform across regions. You set up: > > - A dashboard filter to show only the current year's donations > - Predefined filters for Region and Appeal for quick comparisons > - Tile filters to highlight the top-performing channels > > Team members can then add their own user filters to look at specific groups of supporters, and reset them when needed. > > **Trustee reporting dashboard** > > You create a dashboard for trustees who need high-level figures without changing the data. You configure: > > - Dashboard filters to show only received donations > - Tile filters to highlight key figures > - Search filters to look up a supporter or a fund quickly > - **Prevent Category Selection** on key tiles, so trustees can't add their categories to filters > > Trustees can still use predefined filters to view different time periods or regions, while the core figures stay controlled. ## How filters combine Several filters can apply to a tile at once. How they combine depends on the type of filter: - **Dashboard filters** apply to every tile, and stay active whatever other filters viewers use, including predefined and search filters. - **User filters** narrow the data further, on top of the dashboard filters. - **Tile filters** apply together with the dashboard filters, and take precedence over any conflicting user filters. - A tile with [**Exclude User Filters**]() turned on ignores user filters. - A [Pareto tile]() isn't affected by user filters from other tiles. - A **Pareto filter**, from selecting columns on a Pareto tile, applies to every other tile. - **Analysis filters** only affect profile tiles. When filters come from different tables, each tile applies them through its [resolve table](). If a tile doesn't show what you expect, select **Underlying Filter** on its option menu to see every filter that applies to it. For other filter problems, see [Troubleshooting dashboards]().