Filters

A filter is a set of conditions applied to a table in order to find and work with a subset of the data in that table. Users can apply, modify, create, and save filters. The current filter is indicated by a hierarchical list of conditions—breadcrumbs—at the top of the table.

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs offer a quick form of filter navigation. They are ordered from left to right, with the leftmost condition being the most general and the rightmost condition being the most specific. Clicking a breadcrumb removes all of the conditions to its right. Clicking the condition separator (>) before a condition removes only that condition.

Quick Filters

To quickly filter a list using a value in a field, right-click in the field and select Show Matching or Filter Out (for date fields choose from Show Before,Show After, and Filter Out). These functions add a condition as a rightmost breadcrumb of the current filter.

In this example, right-clicking Active and selecting Show Matching adds the condition Incident state = Active as the most specific condition of the filter. By contrast, right-clicking Active and selecting Filter Out adds the condition Incident state != Active as the most specific condition of the filter.

Creating Filters

A filter restricts what records appear in a list by providing a set of conditions each record must meet to be included in the list. A condition consists of these parts:

• Field: Each field contains data from a particular column in the list's table. Selecting a reference field allows you to dot-walk to data from other tables.
• Operator: Each field type has its own set of valid operators. The operator sometimes also determines if a value is needed.
• Value: Each field has its own set of valid values determined by the field type. Reference fields have access to auto-complete, and choice lists provide a drop-down list of options.
• Grouping: Each condition line is grouped with either an AND or OR connector. The filter requires all condition lines linked with an AND connector to be met. The filter evaluates each condition line linked with an OR connector separately.

To create a filter:

1. Open the condition builder by:
   
   • Clicking the Show / hide filter icon () beside the breadcrumbs.
2. Select a field from the drop-down list.
3. Select an operator from the drop-down list.
4. Select or enter a value, if appropriate.
5. Add or remove conditions to construct the desired filter:
   
   • To add a top-level condition, click Add AND condition or Add OR condition on the condition builder tool bar, above the conditions.
   • To add a dependent condition, click Add AND condition or Add OR condition beside the condition.
   • To remove a condition, click Delete beside the condition.
6. To specify the sort order of the results, click Add Sort, then select a field to sort by and a sort order.
7. Click Run to apply the filter

Learn more about ServiceNow Filters and Breadcrumbs on the ServiceNow wiki.

Video Tutorial