NPrinting Filters – Part 4 (Variables)

This is second last filters feature gap which just got patched in NPrinting November 2019. This version introduces variable filters which in short allows you to set variable value when executing task or whenever filter is used.

Now how and when you may want to use it?

Variable as chart dimensions: It is very common in QlikView and Qlik Sense application to use variable as dimension. This allows for dimension toggle depending on user choice. If the same Qlik object needs to be used in NPrinting, with variable filter we can now choose which dimension will be used when report gets produced.

Let’s have a look at the sample below. First obvioulsy we need a source of data for NPrinting report. In this sample I am using Qlik Sense. I create 2 variables, first holding a dimension name (field in data model) and second to hold dimension name label.

I built sample Qlik Sense table with one dimension and one measure. As a dimension I use variable vDimension_1 and as its label I use vDimension_1_Label variable. Below is a result where you can see that by default label is “First Dimension” and values are coming from “Dim1” field (A,B,C)

With my source object ready I now move to NPrinting and create report template. I use previously built Qlik Sense table and drag and drop it on the template. Additionally I bring Qlik Sense variable as a NPrinting template variable (variable entity) and use it as a column header to allow for dynamic header label.

With the template ready I now move back to NPrinitng console where I create a variable filter. For variable vDimension_1 I assign value Dim2. This will result in using Dim2 column as field/dimension in Qlik Sense table. I also set vDimension_1_Label variable value to “Second Dimension”. I then use this filter as a report filter in NPrinitng.

When I run NPrinting report variable filter is used and it adjusts dimension in chart. See results below.

The above sample shows how you assign static value to variable. Regardless of where this variable is used its value can be changed using NPrinting variable filter.

You can change variable value used in set analysis, variable used to calculate time frames (YTD, MTD, WTD etc…), change variable to show different container object, change variable controlling colors or simply use it as a label/text.

What other use cases are feasible? You can comment below and I will be more than happy to take an example and write about it.

cheers

Lech