---
title: Service catalog variables in data visualizations
description: Group or filter data on visualizations by a variable on a selected service catalog item.In data visualizations based on service catalog data, stack and group by variables, use variables as columns in lists, and as columns and rows in multilevel pivot tables.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/now-intelligence/dv-rep-sc-variables.html
release: australia
topic_type: concept
last_updated: "2026-03-12"
reading_time_minutes: 4
keywords: [Create data visualizations on service catalog variables]
breadcrumb: [Configure, Data visualizations, Platform Analytics experience, Platform Analytics]
---

# Service catalog variables in data visualizations

Group or filter data on visualizations by a variable on a selected service catalog item.

Reporting on variables can be helpful in determining if certain catalog items are useful on an instance, for example.

Additionally, you can create filters on the same variable. For example, if a specific mobile phone item has a storage variable, you can create a report that only shows those phones with 32 GB of storage.

**Parent Topic:**[Configure data visualizations](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/now-intelligence/configure-data-visualizations.md)

## Use service catalog variables in data visualizations

In data visualizations based on service catalog data, stack and group by variables, use variables as columns in lists, and as columns and rows in multilevel pivot tables.

### Before you begin

Role required: viz\_creator or higher, including itil. To see the data, you need a role permitted by a report\_view access control on the data source table

**Note:**

-   Users with a role other than viz\_admin can use service catalog variables if as admin you add their role to the access control lists \(ACLs\) for the following tables: Options \[sc\_item\_option\], Variable Ownership \[sc\_item\_option\_mtom\], and Variables \[item\_option\_new\].
-   The data source for the visualization must be based on the Requested Items table \[sc\_req\_item\] or the Catalog Task table \[sc\_task\]. Using other types of variables causes an error when generating the data visualization.
-   The Oracle Database CLOB field doesn’t have the functionality to retrieve the variables data in data visualizations. For a column string field of less than 4000 bytes, you can change the column type to varchar2. To compare the CLOB columns of a smaller size, use the to\_char\(\) function. For a larger size CLOB, you must get a substring for comparison using the dbms\_lob.substr functions.

### About this task

Use a variable as a filter, a group by, or an alternative group by.

**Note:** Box and Trendbox visualizations can’t use service catalog variables as a group by or alternative group by. Single Score, Calendar Report, and Geomap visualizations don’t support grouping on any fields. Pivot Table visualizations can group by variables only as columns or rows.

### Procedure

1.  Navigate to **All** > **Platform Analytics** > **Library** > **Data Visualizations** and open the visualization to add the variable to.

2.  Select one of the following options.

<table id="choicetable_p2g_2qf_v5"><tbody><tr><td id="d217219e159">

**Use the variable as a filter**

</td><td>

Add or edit a data source and select **Add custom conditions**. If any custom conditions have already been defined, select **+ Add**. Then select **Variables** at the bottom of the field list.

</td></tr><tr><td id="d217219e177">

**Add the variable as a __group by__**

</td><td>

Under **Group by**, select **+ Add**. Then select **Variables** at the bottom of the field list.

</td></tr><tr><td id="d217219e198">

**Add the variable as an alternative group by**

</td><td>

Under **Group by**, select **Add alternative group by**. Then select **Variables** at the bottom of the field list. A viewer can choose one of these variables at runtime, as described in [Select a group-by value in a data visualization as a viewer](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/now-intelligence/select-group-runtime.md).

</td></tr><tr><td id="d217219e223">

**Add the variable as a column or row in a pivot table**

</td><td>

Under **Group by**, select **+Add** for Columns or Rows, then select **Variables** at the bottom of the field list.**Note:**

-   If you create the report with the variable as the main Group By, the variable behaves as an inner join.
-   If you create the report with a regular field for primary grouping, and a secondary grouping on the variable, the variable works as an outer join.


</td></tr></tbody>
</table>3.  Scroll to the end of the list of fields and select **Variables**.

    The available variables appear. Not all variables that are available as group by values are also available as alternative group by values.

4.  Select the variable you want.

5.  If you are using the service catalog variable as a filter, select the operator and the value.

6.  Select **Apply**.


### Variable as a filter

Here you have opened the Edit data source page for a data visualization. No custom conditions have been defined for this data visualization, so you select **Add custom condition**.

\[Omitted image "edit-data-source-custom-conditions.png"\] Alt text: The Add custom conditions link in the Edit data source page.

Next, you scroll down the Select field list to Variable, select that, and select a variable.

\[Omitted image "edit-data-source-variable-filter.png"\] Alt text: Selecting a variable for the custom filter.

Finally you select the operator and the value, such as Is \| A4, and select **Apply**.

### Variable as a group by

In this case, you have a horizontal bar visualization of data in the Requested Items table. In the Group by section, you edit the group by. You scroll to the bottom of the list of fields and replace the Active field with Variables, and select your variable.

\[Omitted image "sc-variable-dv-addl-groupby.png"\] Alt text: Selecting a service catalog variable in a Group by field.

If you want to add a service catalog variable as a row or column on a Pivot Table, the experience is almost identical.

### Variable as an alternative group by

You want a different service catalog variable as an alternative group by. You select **Add alternative group by** and scroll to the bottom. You expand **Variables**, and the list changes to a selection of variables. Not all variables that were available as a group by are available as an alternative group by. Anyway, you select some variables and press **Apply all**.

\[Omitted image "additional-group-by-variables-dv.png"\] Alt text: Additional group by selector for service catalog variables.