Cross-filtering in Apache Superset allows a user to click on a chart to automatically filter all other charts in the dashboard. It's one of the most powerful features for producing exploratory dashboards in 2026.
1. What is cross-filtering?
Click on a bar of the "Country" Bar Chart → all other charts (Line, Pie, Map) filter on this country. Click elsewhere → reset. No need for a global filter widget.
If you want this feature by default, TVL Managed Superset activates cross-filtering on new dashboards.
2. Enable cross-filtering
In superset_config.py:
FEATURE_FLAGS = {
"DASHBOARD_CROSS_FILTERS": True,
}
At chart level: Edit chart → Configuration → tick Allow cross-filtering.
3. Compatible charts
| Chart | Cross-filter |
|---|---|
| Bar Chart | ✓ (click on bar) |
| Pie Chart | ✓ (click on slice) |
| Line Chart | ✓ (rectangle selection) |
| Heatmap | ✓ (click on cell) |
| Choropleth Map | ✓ (click on region) |
| Time-series Heatmap | ✓ |
| Big Number | ✗ |
| Pivot Table | Limited |
4. Typical use cases
- Sales dashboard: click country → see associated jobs / products;
- Marketing dashboard: click channel → see conversions;
- Ops dashboard: click incident → see associated details;
- Executive dashboard: click period → drill-down detail.
5. Default behavior
Clicking on a chart applies the filter to all dashboard charts that share the same filter column.
To limit to certain charts: Edit chart → Cross-filtering scope → Specific charts.
6. Scope configuration
In the source chart configuration panel:
- Apply to all charts (default);
- Apply only to specific charts: select manually.
This configuration is applied by default on TVL Managed Superset, which follows community best practices.
7. Combine with native filters
Cross-filtering complements native filters (Time Range, Value, etc.). A click on a chart applies in addition to global filters already active.
8. Performance
Each click = re-query of all impacted charts. For heavy dashboards:
- Aggressive Redis cache;
- Limit the number of charts in scope;
- Async queries enabled.
9. Common pitfalls
- Cross-filter on 30 charts = 30 queries per click, saturation;
- Different columns between charts → cross-filter inactive;
- No visual indication that a cross-filter is applied (UI to improve);
- Tab navigation: cross-filter lost when changing tabs.
10. Best practices
- Indicate in the chart title "Click to filter others";
- Limit to 5-10 charts in scope;
- Test on real latency with prod data;
- Cache TTL aligned with usage (5 min minimum).
11. Conclusion
Cross-filtering is one of Apache Superset 2026's most powerful features for making your dashboards interactive and exploratory. Properly configured, it transforms the user experience. Used sparingly, it avoids backend saturation.
Want the benefits of Apache Superset without the friction of installation and maintenance? Deploy your instance in 3 clicks with TVL Managed Superset, hosted in Europe (OVHcloud, Roubaix, France).
For more: dashboard filters, first dashboard, chart types.