Create custom variables

Custom variables use manually defined option lists rather than querying data sources, making them ideal for static values that don’t change frequently or don’t exist in your data. They’re perfect for cases where you want to present specific choices to users without depending on query results.

They also offer predictability and control when the available options should remain consistent regardless of what data exists in your data sources.

While query-based variables are excellent for discovering dynamic infrastructure, custom variables provide control over exact options and ordering for business logic that exists outside your monitoring data.

To create a custom variable, complete the following steps:

1. Open your dashboard and click Edit.

2. In the right sidebar, click Dashboard options (gear icon).

3. In the Variables section of the pane, click Add variable.

4. Click Custom to choose the custom variable type.

5. In the Name field, enter the variable name you’ll use in queries.

   For example, enter severity.

6. Under Custom options, click Open variable editor.

7. In the CSV tab, enter comma-separated values.

   For example, enter critical,warning,info,debug.

   Review Preview of values to confirm the list matches what you expect.

8. Click Apply to save the custom options.

9. Click Save to save the dashboard with your new variable.

10. The dashboard displays the custom variable at the top as a drop-down list with your defined options.

In the next milestone, you learn how to reference variables in panel queries to filter data based on user selections.