How do you create a parameter query where the user will enter a value?

With parameters you can substitute values into your query at runtime without having to Edit Source. Any string between double curly braces {{ }} will be treated like a parameter. A widget will appear above the results pane so you change the parameter value.

In editing mode, you can click the gear icon for each parameter widget to adjust its settings. The gear icons disappear when you click Show Data Only so that users who don’t own the query can’t change the parameter behavior.

Add A Parameter From The UI

You can insert a parameter into your query and immediately activate its settings pane by using the Add Parameter button or associated keyboard shortcut. The parameter will be inserted wherever the text caret appears in your query. If you find that you’ve inserted the parameter in the wrong part of the query, you can select the entire parameter [including the curly braces!] and cut/paste it wherever necessary.

You can discover the key shortcut on your operating system by hovering your cursor above the Add Parameter button.

Parameter Settings

Click the gear icon beside each parameter widget to edit its settings:

• Title : by default the parameter title will be the same as the keyword in the query text. If you want to give it a friendlier name, you can change it here.
• Type : each parameter starts as a Text type. Supported types are Text, Number, Date, Date and Time, Date and Time [with Seconds], and Dropdown List.

Prior to Redash version 7, the parameter settings pane in the Query Editor included a Global tickbox, which notified Redash that you intended to use this parameter across multiple widgets in a dashboard. The Global tickbox has been replaced since version 6 with the new Parameter Mapping on Dashboards functionality described below.

For security reasons, a Redash user must have Full Access permission to the data source to use Text-type Query Parameters. Other types such as Date, Date Range, Number or Dropdown list are available to all users.

Date and Date-Range Parameters

Date Parameters use a familiar calendar picking interface and can default to the current date and time. You can chose from three levels of precision: Date, Date and Time, and Date and Time with seconds.

Date Range Parameters insert two markers called

SELECT user_uuid as ‘value’, username as ‘name’
FROM users

1 and

SELECT user_uuid as ‘value’, username as ‘name’
FROM users

2 which signify the beginning and end of your chosen date range.

SELECT a, b c
FROM table1
WHERE
  relevant_date >= '{{ myDate.start }}'
  AND table1.relevant_date  '{{start_date}}'

We use two parameters:

SELECT ...
FROM   ...
WHERE field IN [ {{ Multi Select Parameter }} ]

3 and

SELECT ...
FROM   ...
WHERE field IN [ {{ Multi Select Parameter }} ]

5.

Can I use parameters in embedded visualizations and shared dashboards?

Yes, with one exception. If a query uses a Text type parameter it cannot be embedded because Text parameters are not safe from SQL injection. All other types of query parameters can be used safely in embedded visualizations and dashboards.

Parameter TypeSafe for Embedding?TextNoNumberYesDropdown ListYesQuery Based Dropdown ListYesDateYesDate and TimeYesDate and Time w/SecondsYesDate RangeYesDate and Time RangeYesDate and Time Range w/SecondsYes

Prior to Version 8 of Redash, parameters were not allowed in embedded visualizations. In a future version, all types of parameters will be allowed on publicly shared dashboards and visualizations. Our hosted platform always runs the latest available version of the app.

Can I change parameter values via the URL?

Yes. Each parameter appears in the URL query string preceded by

SELECT ...
FROM   ...
WHERE field IN [ {{ Multi Select Parameter }} ]

6. A query with id

SELECT ...
FROM   ...
WHERE field IN [ {{ Multi Select Parameter }} ]

7 and the following query text:

SELECT * FROM table WHERE field = {{param}}

Would have link a like so:

SELECT ...
FROM   ...
WHERE field IN [ {{ Multi Select Parameter }} ]

8

This is useful for linking between queries and dashboards.

Parameter Mapping on Dashboards

Query Parameters can also be powerfully controlled within dashboards. You can link together parameters on different widgets, set static parameter values, or choose values individually for each widget.

You select your desired parameter mapping when adding dashboard widgets that depend on a parameter value. Each parameter in the underlying query will appear in the Parameters list.

You can also access the parameter mapping interface by clicking the vertical ellipsis [

SELECT ...
FROM   ...
WHERE field IN [ {{ Multi Select Parameter }} ]

9] on the top right of a dashboard widget then clicking Edit Parameters.

• Title is the display name for your parameter and will appear beside the value selector on your dashboard. It defaults to the parameter keyword [see next bullet]. Edit it by clicking the pencil glyph. Note that a titles are not displayed for static dashboard parameters because the value selector is hidden. If you select

  SELECT {{org_id}}, count[0]
  FROM queries
  WHERE org_id = {{org_id}}

  0 as your Value Source then the Title field will be grayed out.

• Keyword is the string literal for this parameter in the underlying query. This is useful for debugging if your dashboard does not return expected results.

• Default Value is what Redash will use if no other value is specified. To change this from the query screen, execute the query with your desired parameter value and click the Save button.

• Value Source is where you choose your preferred mapping. Click the pencil glyph to open the mapper settings.

Value Source Options

• New dashboard parameter: Dashboard parameters allow you to set a parameter value in one place on your dashboard and map it to multiple visualizations. Use this option to create a new dashboard-level parameter.

• Existing dashboard parameter: If you have already set up a dashboard-level parameter, use this option to map it to a specific query parameter. You will need to specify which pre-existing dashboard parameter will be mapped.

• Widget parameter: This option will display a value selector inside your dashboard widget. This is useful for one-off parameters that are not shared between widgets.

• Static value: Selecting this option will let you choose a static value for this widget, regardless of the values used on other widgets. Statically mapped parameter values do not display a value selector anywhere on the dashboard which is more compact. This lets you take advantage of the flexibility of Query Parameters without cluttering the user interface on a dashboard when certain parameters are not expected to change frequently.