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Grafana documentation Templates and variables Add variables Add a data source variable

Add a data source variable

Data source variables allow you to quickly change the data source for an entire dashboard. They are useful if you have multiple instances of a data source, perhaps in different environments.

Enter General options

1. Navigate to the dashboard you want to make a variable for and then click the Dashboard settings (gear) icon at the top of the page.
2. On the Variables tab, click New.
3. Enter a Name for your variable.
4. In the Type list, select Datasource.
5. (optional) In Label, enter the display name of the variable dropdown. If you don’t enter a display name, then the dropdown label will be the variable name.
6. Choose a Hide option:
   • No selection (blank) - The variable dropdown displays the variable Name or Label value. This is the default.
   • Label - The variable dropdown only displays the selected variable value and a down arrow.
   • Variable - No variable dropdown is displayed on the dashboard.

Enter Data source options

1. In the Type list, select the target data source for the variable. For more information about data sources, refer to Add a data source.
2. (optional) In Instance name filter, enter a regex filter for which data source instances to choose from in the variable value drop-down list. Leave this field empty to display all instances.
3. (optional) Enter Selection Options.
4. In Preview of values, Grafana displays a list of the current variable values. Review them to ensure they match what you expect.
5. Click Add to add the variable to the dashboard.