How Row Selection Works

Row selection state is synchronized across tabs within a project. Selecting rows in the Data Table reflects the same selection in the Statistics tab and Graph Builder. Selecting rows in Graph Builder highlights them in the Data Table as well.

You can select rows that appear to be outliers to see where they fall on graphs, or highlight only data meeting certain conditions.

Selection Methods

Data Table

In the Data Table, click rows to select them.

  • Single row: Click a row to select it. Any existing selection is cleared. If exactly one row is selected, clicking that row again clears the selection
  • Range selection: Hold Shift while clicking to select a contiguous range from the previously clicked row
  • Add/remove: Hold Ctrl/Cmd while clicking to add to the existing selection. Ctrl/Cmd+click a selected row to deselect it
  • Clear row selection: Click the Clear rows button in the Selected Rows tab

Graph Builder

Graph Builder supports selection methods that vary by graph type.

Click selection -- Click data points, bars, or bins to select. Hold Ctrl/Cmd while clicking to add to the selection.

Rectangle selection -- Switch to Select mode using the buttons in the top-right corner of the graph, then drag to select.

  • Pan mode: Drag to pan the graph (default)
  • Select mode: Drag to select a rectangular range

Clearing selection -- When rows are selected, a Clear selection button (×) appears in the toolbar at the top right of the graph. Click it to clear the selection. The Clear rows button in the Selected Rows tab also clears the selection. Clicking a selected element without modifier keys switches to selecting that element only.

Double-click a data point or bar to open a Filtered Data tab showing the matching rows. When a Graph Builder graph that draws a derived dataset declares its underlying data with Select & drill down on, double-clicking instead opens a Contributing rows tab with the underlying rows.

Statistics Tab

You can also select rows from histograms and scatter plot matrices in the Statistics tab.

  • Click a histogram bar to select rows within that bar's range
  • In the scatter plot matrix, drag to select points within a rectangular range. No mode switching is needed
  • Hold Ctrl/Cmd while clicking to add to the selection
  • Double-click to open a Filtered Data tab
  • Click the Clear selection button (×) shown at the top right of the graph to clear the selection

Tabs Related to Selection

TabBehavior
Data TableHighlights selected rows with a background color
StatisticsHighlights selected rows on histograms and scatter plot matrices. Statistics are computed on all rows after filtering
Graph BuilderHighlights selected rows. In scatter plots, unselected points become faded. In bar charts, the selected range is drawn as a colored overlay
Selected RowsDisplays only the selected rows in tabular format. Appears automatically when rows are selected
Filtered DataOpens on double-click of a data point or bar, showing the rows that data point or bar represents in a table. It does not depend on row selection state; clearing the selection does not change what it shows

Selected Rows vs. Filtered Data

The two tabs for examining selected rows play different roles. The Selected Rows tab is a single tab that reflects the current selection state in real time; clearing the selection returns it to "No Rows Selected". A Filtered Data tab is an independent tab created each time you double-click, showing a snapshot taken when it opened; its data remains even after clearing the selection.

Selected RowsFiltered Data
What it showsCurrently selected rowsRows matching a specific condition
When selection is clearedReturns to "No Rows Selected"Tab and data remain
Additional filteringNot availableEnter a filter expression for further narrowing
Save as DatasetAvailable only with a selection expressionAlways available
When source data is updatedRe-evaluates the filter expression to return matching rowsRe-evaluates the filter expression to return matching rows

Relationship with Filters

Data Table filters and row selection are separate operations. Filters narrow the rows available for display and analysis. Row selection highlights specific rows within that filtered set.

When a filter is active in the Statistics tab, statistics are computed on the filtered rows only. Row selection does not affect statistics computation; it is reflected only as highlights on graphs. To view statistics for specific rows only, use a filter to narrow the data.

Saving Selected Rows

Row selection state is not saved in the project file. Selections are cleared when you close the project. To reuse selected rows later, save them as a derived dataset.

  • Selected Rows tab: When rows are selected, the Selected Rows tab displays them. If the selection has a selection expression (from clicking a graph element, rectangle selection, etc.), choose Save as Dataset from the menu button (⋮) to save as a derived dataset. Manual click selections in Data Table cannot be saved.
  • Filtered Data tab: The Filtered Data tab opened by double-clicking also has a Save as Dataset button.

Saved derived datasets reference the source data by filter expression, so they return matching rows even after the source data is updated.

Saved derived datasets can be analyzed in other tabs like any regular dataset. For details, see Selected Rows and Filtered Data.

See also