Report Filter Management - GB App - Power BI Report Manager

Overview

The Report Filter Management module allows administrators to create reusable filter definitions that can be applied to Power BI reports on a per-user basis. Filters control what data users can see when viewing reports. Controller: ReportFilterController (app/Http/Controllers/ReportFilterController.php:12)
Model: ReportFilter (app/Models/ReportFilter.php:8)
Vue Component: resources/js/Pages/Report/Filter.vue

Key Features

Filter Definition

Define filters by table, column, operator, and values

Reusable Filters

Create filters once, apply to multiple users and reports

Multiple Operators

Support for In, Equals, Contains, and comparison operators

Value Parsing

Automatic value parsing for single and multi-value filters

Data Model

The ReportFilter model defines filter configurations:

protected $fillable = [
    'name',      // Display name for the filter
    'table',     // Target table name in Power BI dataset
    'column',    // Target column name
    'operator',  // Filter operator (In, Equals, Contains, etc.)
    'values',    // Comma-separated values or single value
];

Value Parsing

The model includes a computed attribute that parses values based on operator:

public function getParseValuesAttribute(): array|string
{
    return $this->operator === 'In' 
        ? explode(',', $this->values) 
        : strtolower($this->values);
}

Logic:

If operator is In: Split comma-separated string into array
Otherwise: Return lowercase string value

Implementation: ReportFilter.php:34-37

Filter Operators

Supported Power BI filter operators:

Membership Operators

In: Value is in the list (requires array of values)
NotIn: Value is not in the list (requires array of values)

Equality Operators

Equals: Value equals exactly
NotEquals: Value does not equal

String Operators

Contains: String contains substring
DoesNotContain: String does not contain substring
StartsWith: String starts with
DoesNotStartWith: String does not start with

Comparison Operators

GreaterThan: Numeric or date greater than
GreaterThanOrEqual: Greater than or equal to
LessThan: Numeric or date less than
LessThanOrEqual: Less than or equal to

Operator names match the Power BI JavaScript SDK filter schema exactly.

API Endpoints

List Filters

GET /reports/filters

Display all available report filters. Response Data:

filters: Collection of all report filters

Implementation: ReportFilterController.php:17-24 Permission Required: report.filter.index OR report.filter.create OR report.filter.update OR report.filter.destroy

Create Filter

POST /reports/filters

Request Body:

{
  "name": "Region Filter - North",
  "table": "Sales",
  "column": "Region",
  "operator": "In",
  "values": "North,Northeast,Northwest"
}

Process:

Validate filter definition
Create new filter record
Return updated filters list

Response: JSON array of all filters (200) or error message (500) Implementation: ReportFilterController.php:29-40 Permission Required: report.filter.create

Update Filter

PUT /reports/filters/{id}

Request Body:

{
  "name": "Region Filter - North & Central",
  "table": "Sales",
  "column": "Region",
  "operator": "In",
  "values": "North,Northeast,Northwest,Central"
}

Note: The id field is automatically excluded from the update payload. Response: JSON array of all filters (200) or error message (500) Implementation: ReportFilterController.php:45-56 Permission Required: report.filter.update

Delete Filter

DELETE /reports/filters/{id}

Process:

Delete filter record
Remove filter assignments from users
Return remaining filters

Response: JSON array of remaining filters (200) or error message (500) Implementation: ReportFilterController.php:61-72 Permission Required: report.filter.destroy

Deleting a filter removes it from all users and reports where it was applied.

Filter Application

Filters are applied to reports through a many-to-many relationship:

Pivot Table: `pvt_report_user_filters`

Columns:

report_id: Foreign key to reports
user_id: Foreign key to users
filter_id: Foreign key to report_filters

This structure allows:

Multiple filters per user/report combination
Same filter applied to different users
Same filter applied to different reports

Assigning Filters to Users

Filters are assigned through the User Management interface:

POST /users/report/update-filters

Request Body:

{
  "user_id": 5,
  "report_id": 2,
  "filters": [1, 3, 5]
}

Implementation: UserController.php:191-206

Retrieving User Filters

The Report model includes a relationship that retrieves filters for the authenticated user:

public function filters(): BelongsToMany
{
    return $this->belongsToMany(ReportFilter::class, 'pvt_report_user_filters', 
                                'report_id', 'filter_id')
        ->where('user_id', '=', Auth::id())
        ->withPivot('user_id');
}

Implementation: Report.php:58-63

Power BI Filter Schema

Filters are converted to Power BI’s filter schema when embedding reports:

{
  "$schema": "http://powerbi.com/product/schema#basic",
  "target": {
    "table": "Sales",
    "column": "Region"
  },
  "operator": "In",
  "values": ["North", "Northeast", "Northwest"]
}

Schema Components

$schema: Always http://powerbi.com/product/schema#basic target: Identifies the data to filter

table: Table name in the dataset
column: Column name in the table

operator: Filter operation (see operators section) values: Value(s) to filter by

Array for In and NotIn operators
Single value for other operators

Conversion in Code

The Report model’s filter_array accessor performs the conversion:

public function getFilterArrayAttribute(): bool|string
{
    $filters = $this->filters->toArray();
    $filters = collect($filters);
    
    $filters = $filters->map(function ($row) {
        return [
            '$schema' => 'http://powerbi.com/product/schema#basic',
            'target' => [
                'table' => $row['table'],
                'column' => $row['column'],
            ],
            'operator' => $row['operator'],
            'values' => $row['parse_values'],
        ];
    });
    
    return json_encode($filters);
}

Implementation: Report.php:68-86

Filter Examples

Example 1: Regional Sales Filter

Use Case: Restrict sales managers to see only their regions.

{
  "name": "Sales - North Region Only",
  "table": "Sales",
  "column": "Region",
  "operator": "In",
  "values": "North,Northeast"
}

Result: User only sees sales data for North and Northeast regions. Use Case: Show specific product categories to product managers.

{
  "name": "Products - Electronics Only",
  "table": "Products",
  "column": "Category",
  "operator": "Equals",
  "values": "Electronics"
}

Result: User only sees electronics products.

Example 3: Date Range Filter

Use Case: Restrict historical data access.

{
  "name": "Sales - Last 90 Days",
  "table": "Sales",
  "column": "OrderDate",
  "operator": "GreaterThanOrEqual",
  "values": "2026-01-01"
}

Result: User only sees sales from January 1, 2026 onwards.

Example 4: Exclude Test Data

Use Case: Hide test/demo accounts from production reports.

{
  "name": "Customers - Exclude Test Accounts",
  "table": "Customers",
  "column": "AccountType",
  "operator": "NotEquals",
  "values": "Test"
}

Result: Test accounts are hidden from the report.

User Interface

The filter management interface provides:

Filters Table

Columns: Name, Table, Column, Operator, Values, Actions
Actions: Edit, Delete
Create Button: Opens modal for new filter

Name: Display name for the filter
Table: Power BI dataset table name
Column: Column to filter
Operator: Dropdown with available operators
Values: Text input (comma-separated for In operator)
Save Button: Submits form
Cancel Button: Closes modal

Validation

Required Fields

Name (unique, descriptive)
Table (must match Power BI dataset)
Column (must match table column)
Operator (must be valid Power BI operator)
Values (format depends on operator)

Value Format

For In and NotIn operators:

Comma-separated list: "Value1,Value2,Value3"
No spaces unless part of the value
Example: "North,South,East,West"

For other operators:

Single value: "North"
For dates: ISO format "2026-01-01"
For numbers: "1000"

Error Handling

Common errors and solutions:

Invalid Table/Column

Error: Report fails to load or shows no data. Solution: Verify table and column names match exactly with Power BI dataset schema (case-sensitive).

Invalid Operator

Error: Filter not applied, full data shown. Solution: Use exact operator names from Power BI schema (e.g., “In” not “in”).

Malformed Values

Error: Filter syntax error in browser console. Solution: For In operator, ensure values are comma-separated without extra spaces.

Best Practices

Descriptive Names

Name filters clearly to indicate purpose: “Sales - Region North” not “Filter 1”.

Test Filters

Test filters with actual reports before assigning to production users.

Document Values

Keep documentation of valid values for each filter, especially for In operators.

Avoid Over-Filtering

Too many filters can make reports confusing. Use minimum necessary filters.

Filter Combination

Multiple filters applied to the same report are combined with AND logic: Example:

Filter 1: Region = “North”
Filter 2: Year >= “2026”

Result: User sees only North region data from 2026 onwards.

Power BI applies all filters simultaneously. There is no OR logic support at the filter level.

Usage Workflow

Identify Filter Need

Determine what data restrictions are needed (e.g., regional access, time ranges).

Check Dataset Schema

Open Power BI report and note exact table and column names.

Create Filter

Navigate to Report Filters page and click “New Filter”. Enter filter details.

Select Operator

Choose appropriate operator based on filter type (In for lists, Equals for single values, etc.).

Enter Values

For In operator, enter comma-separated values. For others, enter single value.

Assign to Users

Go to User Management, select user, select report, and assign the filter.

Test Filter

Reports

Apply filters to Power BI reports

Users

Assign filters to specific users

Dashboard

View filtered reports on dashboard

Advanced: Dynamic Filters

For filters that need to change based on user attributes (e.g., filter by user’s assigned region):

Create filter with placeholder in values
Implement custom logic in PowerBITrait to replace placeholder
Apply dynamic value before generating embed token

Example Implementation:

// In PowerBITrait
protected function applyDynamicFilters($user, $filters) {
    return $filters->map(function($filter) use ($user) {
        if ($filter->values === '{USER_REGION}') {
            $filter->values = $user->region;
        }
        return $filter;
    });
}

Dynamic filter implementation requires custom code and is not included in the base module.

Business Modules

Administration

​Overview

​Key Features

Filter Definition

Reusable Filters

Multiple Operators

Value Parsing

​Data Model

​Value Parsing

​Filter Operators

​Membership Operators

​Equality Operators

​String Operators

​Comparison Operators

​API Endpoints

​List Filters

​Create Filter

​Update Filter

​Delete Filter

​Filter Application

​Pivot Table: pvt_report_user_filters

​Assigning Filters to Users

​Retrieving User Filters

​Power BI Filter Schema

​Schema Components

​Conversion in Code

​Filter Examples

​Example 1: Regional Sales Filter

​Example 2: Product Category Filter

​Example 3: Date Range Filter

​Example 4: Exclude Test Data

​User Interface

​Filters Table

​Filter Form (Create/Edit)

​Validation

​Required Fields

​Value Format

​Error Handling

​Invalid Table/Column

​Invalid Operator

​Malformed Values

​Best Practices

Descriptive Names

Test Filters

Document Values

Avoid Over-Filtering

​Filter Combination

​Usage Workflow

​Related Modules

Reports

Users

Dashboard

​Advanced: Dynamic Filters

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Key Features

Data Model

Value Parsing

Filter Operators

Membership Operators

Equality Operators

String Operators

Comparison Operators

API Endpoints

List Filters

Create Filter

Update Filter

Delete Filter

Filter Application

Pivot Table: `pvt_report_user_filters`

Assigning Filters to Users

Retrieving User Filters

Power BI Filter Schema

Schema Components

Conversion in Code

Filter Examples

Example 1: Regional Sales Filter

Example 2: Product Category Filter

Example 3: Date Range Filter

Example 4: Exclude Test Data

User Interface

Filters Table

Filter Form (Create/Edit)

Validation

Required Fields

Value Format

Error Handling

Invalid Table/Column

Invalid Operator

Malformed Values

Best Practices

Filter Combination

Usage Workflow

Related Modules

Advanced: Dynamic Filters