Visual Style - Filter Data

Filters let you narrow down what appears on the map and in your analysis without modifying the underlying data. You can filter
interactively through the UI, apply filters to specific layers, or write filter conditions directly in SQL.

Overview

FSQ Spatial Desktop supports three main filtering approaches:

1. Global filters — Apply across all layers using the same source table.
2. Layer filters — Apply only to a single layer, without affecting others.
3. SQL filters — Use WHERE clauses in the SQL Editor for full control.

All filters are non-destructive: your original data is never changed, and filters can be toggled, adjusted, or removed at any
time.

Global Filters

Global filters live in the Filters panel and apply to every layer that uses the filtered table. Use them to explore a
dataset consistently across multiple visualizations at once.

Supported filter types:

• Range — Numeric between min and max (e.g. price BETWEEN 100 AND 500)
• Categorical — Select one or more values from a list (e.g. category IN ('A','B'))
• Time range — Filter by timestamp or date column, with a scrubbable timeline
• Text search — Match a substring against a text column
• Spatial — Restrict data to the current map viewport or a drawn polygon

Typical steps:

1. Open the Filters panel.
2. Click Add Filter and choose a column.
3. Select the filter type and set values.
4. All layers using that column update instantly.

Layer Filters

Layer filters apply to a single layer only, letting you show different subsets of the same data across multiple layers on the
same map.

Common uses:

• Compare two groups side-by-side (e.g. weekday vs. weekend trips)
• Highlight a subset (top 10 stores) while keeping full context visible
• Split one dataset into color-coded categories on the same map

Typical steps:

1. Select a layer in the Layers panel.
2. Open the layer's Filter section.
3. Add one or more filter conditions.
4. Only that layer updates; other layers remain untouched.

Spatial Filters

Spatial filters restrict data based on geographic extent instead of attribute values.

Options:

• Viewport filter — Only show features inside the current map view.
• Drawn shape filter — Draw a polygon, rectangle, or circle on the map to select features within it.
• Existing polygon filter — Use a polygon layer as a mask (e.g. limit points to a specific borough).

Time Filters

Time filters work on any column containing timestamps or dates.

Capabilities:

• Scrub through time using an interactive slider
• Set fixed start/end ranges
• Animate through time to see how data evolves (works with Trip and time-aware layers)
• Combine with attribute filters for compound queries (e.g. weekdays after 6 PM)

SQL Filters

For advanced or repeatable filtering, use the SQL Editor to create a filtered table.

Example — filter by attribute and geometry:

CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE filtered_trips AS
SELECT *
FROM trips
WHERE
  fare_amount > 20
  AND ST_Within(pickup_geom, ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON((...))'));

The result becomes a new table you can add as a layer, chart, or export.

Combining Filters

Filters combine with AND logic by default: a row must pass every active filter to be included. You can:

• Stack multiple attribute filters on one column or across columns.
• Combine spatial, temporal, and attribute filters in a single view.
• Save filter configurations as part of your project so they persist across sessions.

All filter state is stored inside your .spatial project file, keeping your analysis fully reproducible.