--- title: "Dynatrace template variables | Grafana Enterprise Plugins documentation" description: "Create template variables for Dynatrace in Grafana." --- > For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt). # Templates and variables Template variables allow you to create dynamic, reusable dashboards. Instead of hard-coding values like metric names or host names, you can use variables that users can change from a drop-down menu. ## Supported variable types The Dynatrace plugin provides data source support for the following Grafana variable types: Expand table | Variable type | Description | |----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Query | Dynamically fetches values from your Dynatrace environment. This is the primary variable type for Dynatrace. | | Ad-hoc filters | Automatically applies key-value filters to all metric queries on a dashboard. | > Note > > You can also use Grafana’s built-in variable types (Custom, Text box, Constant, Interval) with Dynatrace queries. These variables are defined manually and are not populated from Dynatrace. For more information, refer to [Variable types](/docs/grafana/latest/dashboards/variables/add-template-variables/#variable-types). ## Query variables Query variables dynamically fetch values from your Dynatrace environment. To add a new Dynatrace query variable, refer to [Add a query variable](/docs/grafana/latest/dashboards/variables/add-template-variables/#add-a-query-variable). When creating a query variable, select your Dynatrace data source and choose from the following query types: Expand table | Query type | Description | |--------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Metric names | Returns a list of all metric names. | | Filter keys | Returns a list of all possible dimensions (for example, Hostname) that can be used to filter. | | Filter values for key | Returns a list of filtered values by a key name or a key name template variable. | | Problem status options | Returns a list of all problem statuses. | | Problem impact options | Returns a list of all problem impacted areas. | | Problem severity options | Returns a list of all problem severity types. | | Management Zones | Returns a list of all management zones configured in your Dynatrace environment. | | Query Editor | Allows you to configure a custom query using the query editor to create a custom template variable. The query must return only 1 column. When your query returns 1 column, click the **Apply** button. Optionally, a raw query can return two columns named `text` and `value` to have different display values for the values. | **Regex** - *(Optional)* Filter out any of the returned values from your query with a regular expression. > Note > > `Multi-value` and `Include All option` support varies by query type. Test your specific use case to verify compatibility. ## Ad-hoc filters Ad-hoc filters let users add filters to all metric queries on a dashboard without editing each panel. The Dynatrace plugin populates filter options from your Dynatrace entity types (such as Host, Process, or Service). To create an ad-hoc filter variable: 1. Go to **Dashboard settings** > **Variables** > **New variable**. 2. Select **Ad hoc filters** as the variable type. 3. Select your Dynatrace data source. 4. Click **Apply**. Once configured, a filter bar appears at the top of your dashboard. Users can add filters by selecting an entity type (key) and a specific entity (value). These filters automatically apply to all metric queries on the dashboard. ## Variable syntax The Dynatrace plugin supports multiple variable syntax formats: Expand table | Syntax | Example | Description | |--------------------|------------|-----------------------------------------| | `$variablename` | `$host` | Simple syntax | | `[[variablename]]` | `[[host]]` | Legacy syntax | | `${variablename}` | `${host}` | Advanced syntax with formatting options | ## Where to use variables You can use template variables in the following query fields: Expand table | Query type | Supported fields | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Metrics | Metric name, Management Zones, Filter keys, Filter values, Alias, Code mode selector | | Problems | Status, Impact, Severity, Tags | | USQL | Query text | | Logs | Query text | | Audit Logs | Filter text | | Direct API | API endpoint | ## Chaining variables A common pattern is to chain “Filter keys” and “Filter values for key” variables together. This allows users to first select a dimension (like Host or Process), then select a specific value for that dimension. To chain variables: 1. Create a variable using **Filter keys** query type. Name it something like `filterKey`. 2. Create a second variable using **Filter values for key** query type. 3. In the **Filter key name** field, enter `$filterKey`. Now the second variable’s options dynamically update based on the first variable’s selection. ## Additional resources For more information about variables in Grafana, refer to [Templates and variables](/docs/grafana/latest/dashboards/variables/).