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Cascading Parameters

Cascading parameters allow one slicer or filter in a report output to control the available options in another. When a user selects a value in the parent slicer, the child slicer's options are automatically filtered to only show relevant values.

Why cascading parameters matter​

Without cascading, a user filtering a large report must browse unrelated options in every slicer. With cascading:

  • Select "Australia" in the Region slicer → the Project slicer shows only Australian projects.
  • Select a WBS Level-1 code → the WBS Level-2 slicer shows only children of that code.
  • Select a risk category → the risk owner slicer shows only owners associated with that category.

This reduces noise, speeds up filtering, and prevents combinations that produce empty results.

How cascading works​

  1. Two or more slicers are added to the report canvas.
  2. The child slicer has a Parent parameter set to the first slicer.
  3. When a value is selected in the parent slicer, the child slicer's data source is filtered by that value.
  4. The child slicer only shows options that have at least one matching data row given the parent selection.

Configuring a cascading parameter​

Step 1: Add the parent slicer​

  1. In the Output Designer, add a slicer to the canvas (e.g. a Dropdown slicer bound to a select field for Region).
  2. Give the slicer a clear name in the Parameters panel (e.g. "Region filter").

Step 2: Add the child slicer​

  1. Add a second slicer (e.g. a Dropdown slicer bound to a Project Name field).
  2. Open the child slicer's Parameters settings.
  3. Under Parent parameter, select the first slicer ("Region filter").
  4. Under Link field, choose the field that connects the parent to the child data source (e.g. the Region field in the Projects section — the same field the parent slicer is bound to).

Step 3: Test the cascade​

  1. Click Preview in the Output Designer.
  2. Select a value in the parent slicer.
  3. Verify the child slicer's options narrow to only matching values.

Cascade depth​

You can chain multiple levels:

Country slicer
  └── Region slicer (parent: Country)
        └── Project slicer (parent: Region)
              └── WBS slicer (parent: Project)

Keep chains to 3–4 levels. Deeper chains can cause slow filter resolution if the data source is large.

Cross-section cascading​

Parent and child slicers do not need to be bound to the same section, but the link field must exist in both:

  • Parent slicer: bound to a select field "Client" in the Projects section.
  • Child slicer: bound to a "Contract name" field in the Contracts section — which also has a "Client" field.
  • Link field: "Client" in the Contracts section = the connecting field.

When the user selects a client in the parent slicer, Report Forge filters the Contracts section by that client value before populating the child slicer's options.

Cascading with output components​

Output components (tables, charts, cards) can also be filtered by the parent or child slicer parameters:

  1. In the component's Data tab, add a Slicer filter and select the parameter to listen to.
  2. When a user selects values in the slicer, all components linked to that slicer update.
  3. A component can listen to multiple slicers — multiple selections are combined with AND logic.

Reset behaviour​

  • When a user clears the parent slicer selection, all child slicers reset to their full unfiltered option list.
  • The Reset all filters button in the report viewer clears all slicer selections (including parent/child chains).

Default values​

Set a default value on a parent slicer to pre-select it when the report opens:

  • Child slicers automatically cascade from the default value.
  • The report loads in a filtered state appropriate for the most common reader (e.g. default to the current month or the viewer's assigned project).

Limitations​

  • Cascading parameters require both slicers to be bound to fields from the same workspace data.
  • Cascading does not work with static dataset slicers — only with blueprint section-bound slicers.
  • A child slicer can have only one parent — multi-parent cascading is not supported.