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Variables
The Infinity data source supports two methods for creating dashboard variables.
Template variables
Use template variables to populate variable options from external data sources like JSON, CSV, or XML APIs. This is the standard and recommended approach for creating dynamic drop-downs.
Template variables work like any other Grafana data source query - you define a query that returns data, and Grafana uses the results to populate the variable options.
Learn more about template variables
Utility variables (legacy)
Use utility variables for string manipulation, lookups, and other helper functions. These are unique to the Infinity data source and provide features like:
- Collection() - Create key-value pairs from inline data
- CollectionLookup() - VLOOKUP-style lookups based on another variable
- Join() - Concatenate strings and variables
- Random() - Select random values from a list
- UnixTimeStamp() - Generate Unix timestamps
