In this episode of Widget Wednesday, Chris Twiest takes a deep dive into variables and how they can transform ControlUp dashboards from static charts into dynamic, data-driven visualizations inside ControlUp.
Variables allow dashboards to respond in real time to user selections, making it easier to focus on exactly the data that matters—without duplicating widgets or overloading dashboards with filters.
Starting with the right metric
The walkthrough begins with the P95 CPU performance metric, highlighting why percentiles provide a more accurate view of real-world performance behavior than simple averages, especially when diagnosing spikes and outliers.
Building variables step by step
Chris shows how to create and implement variables from scratch, including:
- Defining variables based on tags and geographic attributes
- Connecting variables to the correct indexes
- Ensuring widgets always reflect accurate, current data
The setup emphasizes clarity and repeatability, making variables easy to reuse across dashboards.
Dynamic filtering in action
A key highlight of the episode is a two-tier filtering model:
- Select a country
- Automatically update the available city options based on that selection
This nested, responsive behavior demonstrates how variables can drive intelligent filtering without manual reconfiguration.
Why this matters
Variables make dashboards more focused, interactive, and scalable. By combining conditional filters and dynamic selections, you can drill into global metrics or narrow down to specific locations—all from a single dashboard view.
Watch the video, try it yourself, and experiment.
Once you start using variables, it’s hard to go back to static dashboards.
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Categories: ControlUp Dashboards, Widget Wednesday - ControlUp Dashboard Videos