--- title: "Basics" slug: "filter-engine-basics" tags: ["Filters", "Scope", "Page", "Preference", "Visitor", "Filter", "Visit"] updated: 2025-06-04T09:16:43Z published: 2025-06-04T09:16:43Z canonical: "docs.mapp.com/filter-engine-basics" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mapp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Basics ## 1 Introduction The Filter Engine in Mapp Intelligence enables you to refine your data analysis by applying specific filters to dimensions and metrics. This flexibility allows you to answer targeted questions, for example, analyze the performance of specific campaigns or identify user behavior on your website. With the Filter Engine, you can narrow down your results to focus on what matters most. Whether you want to filter for visits from a specific device, user segments, or time periods, the system provides a wide range of filter options to help you create relevant insights. This page explains the basic components of the Filter Engine, including available filters, operators, input methods, and how to group filters using containers. These foundations are important before moving on to more advanced topics like scopes, exclusions, or filter combinations. **Example:** In the pages analysis, show only results if the user visited the site via a tablet. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/554b9b98-6720-4d8b-9919-c7b203d72648/Images/Documentation/2025-06 Filterengine c.gif) --- ## 2 Filter criteria To create a filter in Mapp Intelligence, you first select a filter element — either a dimension or a metric: - A dimension describes qualitative aspects of user behavior, such as *Pages*, *Device Class*, or *City*. - A metric reflects quantitative values, such as *Page Impressions* or *Bounces*. > [!WARNING] > Note > > [Custom figures](/v1/docs/user-interface-14-custom-figures) cannot be used as filter criteria. In the Filter Engine, these elements are presented as a searchable list. You can browse or search filter elements in two ways: - *Show as list* displays all filters in alphabetical order. - *Show as groups* organizes them into categories such as *Marketing*, *Navigation*, *Visitors*, or *Other* ![](https://cdn.document360.io/554b9b98-6720-4d8b-9919-c7b203d72648/Images/Documentation/2025-06 Filterengine 2.gif) In the selection menu and filter view, dimensions are shown in green and metrics are shown in blue. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/554b9b98-6720-4d8b-9919-c7b203d72648/Images/Documentation/CleanShot 2025-06-02 at 16.25.09@2x.png) --- ## 3 Operators Operators define how the filter condition is applied. The available options depend on the type of data. Different types of dimensions and metrics support different sets of operators. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/554b9b98-6720-4d8b-9919-c7b203d72648/Images/Documentation/CleanShot 2024-08-21 at 15.08.48@2x(1).png) - Available operators for **metrics** Metrics reflect numerical values such as *Page Impressions* or *Bounces*. They are often used to apply thresholds or ranges for analysis. | Operators | Example “Page Impressions” | Result | | --- | --- | --- | | equal | Page Impressions **equal** 5 | 5 | | less than | Page Impressions **less than** 5 | < 5 | | greater than | Page Impressions **greater than** 5 | > 5 | | between | Page Impressions **between** 5 and 8 | 5, 6, 7, 8 | - Available operators for **time-related dimensions** These dimensions refer to specific times or dates, such as *Minutes*, *Hours*, *Days*, or *Weekdays*. They allow you to isolate activity within certain time windows. | Operators | Example “Hours” | Result | | --- | --- | --- | | equal | Hours **equal** 5 | 5 | | before | Hours **before** 5 | < 5 | | after | Hours **after** 5 | > 5 | | between | Hours **between** 5 and 8 | 5, 6, 7, 8 | - Available operators for **User-dimensions** User-based dimensions describe the overall behavior of an individual user across all visits, such as *User - Visits* or *User - Page Impressions*. | Operators | Example “User - Visits” | Result | | --- | --- | --- | | equal | User - Visits **equal** 5 | 5 | | less than | User - Visits **less than** 5 | < 5 | | greater than | User - Visits **greater than** 5 | > 5 | | between | User - Visits **between** 5 and 8 | 5, 6, 7, 8 | - Available operators for all **other dimensions** This group includes typical categorical filters, such as *Page*, *City*, or *Device Class*. You can include or exclude specific values. | Operators | Example “Pages” | Result | | --- | --- | --- | | equal | Pages **equal** “home” | home | | not equal | Pages **not equal** “home” | ≠ home | --- ## 4 Search input Depending on the selected element (dimension or metric), values can be entered in different ways: - **Free text field:** Available for most dimensions and metrics. You can enter the value manually. - For dimensions, **suggestions** may appear (up to 8 values previously tracked with your login). ![](https://cdn.document360.io/554b9b98-6720-4d8b-9919-c7b203d72648/Images/Documentation/CleanShot 2025-06-02 at 16.27.36@2x.png) - Dimensions also support **placeholders** (*) to replace one or more characters. The examples below show how the * placeholder behaves when filtering the **Pages** dimension using the **equal** operator. | Search Input Example | What the filter returns | | --- | --- | | ***** | All pages | | *****home | All pages ending with “home” (e.g., mobile.home) | | *****home***** | All pages containing “home” (e.g., mobile.home, mobile.home.error) | - **Drop-down input:** ![](https://cdn.document360.io/554b9b98-6720-4d8b-9919-c7b203d72648/Images/Documentation/CleanShot 2024-08-21 at 15.15.12@2x.png) - Available for selected dimensions (e.g. *Weekdays*, *Segments*) - Only one value can be selected at a time --- ## 5 Containers Filters can be grouped into containers. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/554b9b98-6720-4d8b-9919-c7b203d72648/Images/Documentation/2025-06 Filterengine 3 d.gif) - Each container acts as a unit and will later be assigned a scope, defining whether it applies per action, page, visit, or visitor. - Containers are essential when combining multiple filters, especially with logical links like AND, OR, or THEN. Details on scopes and filter combinations are explained on the page [Filter Scopes](/v1/docs/filter-scopes).