Report Filtering
Overview
Report filtering lets you narrow chart and table results to just the entities and data that matter for a specific analysis. By applying entity, data, and pattern-based filters, you can control which entities appear or don’t appear, which metrics are included in calculations, and how properties such as names or tags are matched, so that reports stay focused, performant, and easy to interpret.
Entity filtering
Entity Filtering is a feature that allows you to filter which entities related to a chart entity are used in data aggregation. When you apply entity filtering, you can control which specific entities contribute to the metrics and calculations displayed in your charts.
All data attributes related to the filtered entities are used in the aggregation. For example, if you filter for a single application, the chart will aggregate data collected from all related switch ports associated with that application.
Entity filtering is only available on charts that display multiple entities, such as Top N charts. It is NOT available on single-entity charts.
Access Entity Filtering
Use entity filters to control which entities appear in a chart and to aggregate data only for those entities.
Configure the chart
Open the chart configuration and set the basic parameters on the Chart Data tab.
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Entity filter options
Entity filter options let you control which entities appear in a chart by including, excluding, relating, or property-matching specific entities.
Option | Description |
|---|---|
In this list | Select specific named entities to include. Use the search box to find entities by name, and optionally clear Show Archived to limit the list to active entities. Select the entities and click OK to apply the filter. You can also use template variables in this list. |
Not in this list | Include only entities that are not in the selected list, effectively excluding the entities you choose. |
Related to | Include entities that are related to the chart entity for metric aggregation or calculation. You select the entity from which the search begins—for example, Starting from this host, find the ports. You can also restrict the relationship to a specific topology to improve performance and fine-tune what appears in the chart. |
With property | Filter entities by a system property or tag value, such as including only HBA ports with a port speed of 16 GB. |
With property matching conditions
With property matching conditions let you include or exclude entities based on whether their property values match a specified text pattern, with optional case sensitivity.
Pattern-based filters add four new With property conditions that use wildcard matching on text properties such as Name.
These conditions work with the existing filter controls in charts, report filter pop-ups, rule create/update pages, and other places where filters are available.
Pattern-based filters let you match entity properties using wildcard text patterns so they can quickly include or exclude groups of items whose names follow a common pattern.
When you use With property, you can refine the filter with pattern-based conditions:
Condition | Matching behaviour |
|---|---|
Matching pattern (case sensitive) | Includes entities whose property matches the pattern, including letter case. |
Not matching pattern (case sensitive) | Excludes property values that exactly match the pattern, including letter case. |
Matching pattern (case insensitive) | Includes property values that match the pattern without considering letter case. |
Not matching pattern (case insensitive) | Excludes property values that match the pattern without considering letter case. |
Note
For optimal performance, especially when your report includes large datasets - it is recommended to use the following filter operators:
Matching pattern (case sensitive)
Not matching pattern (case sensitive)
Data filtering
Data filtering limits the metric calculation to specific entities and their data, instead of using all related entities.
In charts, only the selected entity and metric are included in the aggregation (for example, one application using data from two specific switch ports).
Data filtering is available on all charts, and on Top N charts only when a binding exists between the entity type and the chosen metric (for example, Switch Port–Consumed Bandwidth).
To add a data filter, select the + icon in the chart and choose Filter Entities for Metric Calculation (Advanced).
Option | Description |
|---|---|
In this list | Include metric data only from the named entities or report variable values you select. |
Not in this list | Include metric data only from entities that are not in the specified list; you can also use a report variable. |
Related to | Include metric data only from entities that have a defined relationship to the chart’s primary entity, optionally driven by a report variable. |
With property | Include metric data only from entities whose system properties or tags match the specified value (for example, applications in the Platinum tier). |
Pattern Syntax
What is Pattern Syntax?
Pattern syntax is a filtering mechanism in Virtana Infrastructure Observability that allows you to include or exclude data based on text patterns. It provides flexible matching options to refine your report data by searching for specific text strings within properties like Tags, Names, or other attributes.
Available Pattern Matching Options:
in this list - Matches items that are in a specified list
not in this list - Excludes items that are in a specified list
Matching pattern (case sensitive) - Includes items matching a pattern with exact case
Not matching pattern (case sensitive) - Excludes items matching a pattern with exact case
Matching pattern (case insensitive) - Includes items matching a pattern regardless of case
Not matching pattern (case insensitive) - Excludes items matching a pattern regardless of case
Boolean Operators for Advanced Filtering:
or - Combines multiple conditions (any can be true)
union - Internal OR-like operator for embedded relationships
After you select a pattern matching option (like "Not matching pattern (case sensitive)"), you'll see a text input field where you need to enter your pattern.
This field is where you type your search pattern using:
Regular text
Boolean operators (|)
Wildcard symbols (*, ?)
Pattern Matching Symbols
Use pattern matching symbols to create flexible filters that match multiple entities based on common naming patterns in your infrastructure.
Asterisk (*) - Match Zero or More Characters
Symbol | What It Does | Where to Place It |
|---|---|---|
* (asterisk) | Matches zero or more characters of any type (letters, numbers, symbols). Use this to match entities that share a common prefix, suffix, or middle portion in their names. The matched characters are known patterns in your environment—the asterisk simply allows you to match all variations efficiently without listing each one individually. |
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Example
Pattern | What It Matches | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
prod-* | prod-web, prod-, prod-app, prod-db-01, prod-server-east-001 | Prefix match: All entities starting with "prod-" (including "prod-" itself with zero characters after). |
*-backup | server-backup, db-backup, storage-array-backup | Suffix match: All entities ending with "-backup" |
*-tier1-* | prod-tier1-web, dev-tier1-app, storage-tier1-ssd | Middle match: All entities containing "-tier1-" anywhere in the name |
prod-*-01 | prod-web-01, prod-app-01, prod-database-01 | Prefix and suffix match: All production entities ending with "-01" |
Question Mark (?) - Match Exactly One Character
Symbol | What It Does | Where to Place It |
|---|---|---|
? (question mark) | Matches exactly one character of any type—letters, numbers, or symbols. This is useful when you need to match a single variable character in a specific position while keeping the rest of the pattern fixed. |
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Example
Pattern | What It Matches | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
server-0? | server-01, server-02, server-0a, server-0X | Single variable character: Matches any single character in the last position (numbers, letters, or symbols) |
host-? | host-a, host-1, host-# | One character variation: Matches any single character after "host-" |
prod-??-web | prod-01-web, prod-xy-web | Two variable characters: Matches exactly two characters in the middle position |
fc? | fc0, fca, fc# | Single trailing character: Matches "fc" followed by any single character. |
?-server-? | b-server-2, 1-server-x | Multiple single positions: Matches one character at the beginning and one at the end |
Pipe (|) - Match Multiple Alternative Patterns
Symbol | What It Does | Where to Place It |
|---|---|---|
| (pipe) | Allows you to define multiple alternative patterns and match entities that satisfy any one of them. This acts as a logical OR operator, letting you combine different patterns in a single filter. |
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Note
Do not put spaces before or after the pipe (|) unless those spaces are intentionally part of your pattern.
Example
Pattern | What It Matches | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
prod-*|staging-* | prod-web, prod-app-01, staging-db, staging-server-02 | Multiple prefixes : (no spaces): Matches all entities starting with "prod-" OR "staging-" |
*-web|*-app|*-db | server-web, host-app, storage-db | Multiple suffixes: Matches entities ending with "-web" OR "-app" OR "-db" |
prod *|staging * | rod server, prod web, staging app , staging db | With intentional spaces: Matches "prod " (with space) OR "staging " (with space) |
server-0?|host-0? | server-01, server-0a, host-01, host-0x | Combined with other symbols: Matches two different patterns with variable characters |
For advanced patterns or troubleshooting, contact Virtana Support team.