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Last reviewed: August 26, 2026

IBM Db2 template variables

Template variables allow you to create dynamic, reusable dashboards. Instead of hard-coding values in your queries, you can use variables that users can change from the dashboard.

Before you begin

Before using template variables, ensure you have:

Use variables in queries

You can use Grafana template variables in your SQL queries. Variables are replaced with their selected values before the query runs.

Use the $variable or ${variable} syntax to reference a variable:

SQL 
SELECT EMPNO, FIRSTNME, LASTNAME, WORKDEPT, SALARY
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE WORKDEPT = '$department'

Note

The data source substitutes a single-value variable as its raw value without quotes, so wrap it in single quotes for string comparisons, as in WHERE WORKDEPT = '$department'. Multi-value variables are quoted automatically, so don’t add quotes around them. Refer to the Multi-value variables section. Template variables are the only form of dynamic substitution the data source supports. It doesn’t support SQL macros such as $__timeFilter.

Multi-value variables

For variables that allow multiple selections, use the IN operator:

SQL 
SELECT EMPNO, FIRSTNME, LASTNAME, WORKDEPT, SALARY
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE WORKDEPT IN ($department)

Multi-value variables are automatically formatted as comma-separated quoted strings. For example, if the user selects departments A00, B01, and C01, the query becomes:

SQL 
WHERE WORKDEPT IN ('A00','B01','C01')

Note

An empty multi-value selection is formatted as IN (''), which matches no rows. Include a default value or an “All” option so the variable always resolves to a valid value.

Create a query variable

You can populate variable options dynamically using a SQL query against your IBM Db2 database.

To create a query variable:

  1. Navigate to Dashboard settings > Variables.
  2. Click Add variable.
  3. Select Query as the variable type.
  4. Select your IBM Db2 data source.
  5. Enter a SQL query that returns the values you want.

Query variable behavior

The query result determines how variable options are populated:

Query returnsBehavior
One columnThe column values are used as both the display text and the value.
Two or more columnsThe first column is the value, the second column is the display text. Additional columns are ignored.

Example: Department variable

Create a variable that lists all departments:

SQL 
SELECT DISTINCT WORKDEPT FROM EMPLOYEE ORDER BY WORKDEPT

Example: Department with description

Create a variable with department code as the value and a description as the display text:

SQL 
SELECT DEPTNO, DEPTNAME FROM DEPARTMENT ORDER BY DEPTNO

This displays the department name to users but uses the department number in queries.

Variable examples

Filter by job type

Variable query:

SQL 
SELECT DISTINCT JOB FROM EMPLOYEE ORDER BY JOB

Dashboard query using the variable:

SQL 
SELECT EMPNO, FIRSTNME, LASTNAME, JOB, SALARY
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE JOB = '$job'
ORDER BY SALARY DESC

Filter by salary range

Variable query (custom ranges):

SQL 
SELECT '0-50000' AS range FROM SYSIBM.SYSDUMMY1
UNION ALL SELECT '50000-75000' FROM SYSIBM.SYSDUMMY1
UNION ALL SELECT '75000-100000' FROM SYSIBM.SYSDUMMY1
UNION ALL SELECT '100000+' FROM SYSIBM.SYSDUMMY1

Dashboard query using the variable:

SQL 
SELECT EMPNO, FIRSTNME, LASTNAME, SALARY
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE 
  CASE 
    WHEN '$salary_range' = '0-50000' THEN SALARY < 50000
    WHEN '$salary_range' = '50000-75000' THEN SALARY >= 50000 AND SALARY < 75000
    WHEN '$salary_range' = '75000-100000' THEN SALARY >= 75000 AND SALARY < 100000
    WHEN '$salary_range' = '100000+' THEN SALARY >= 100000
  END
ORDER BY SALARY DESC