What Are the Differences between the Query and Filter Widgets in ArcGIS Experience Builder

In ArcGIS Experience Builder, both the Query and Filter widgets support user-defined input and use SQL expressions to filter data based on specified criteria. While both widgets provide similar filtering capabilities, there are several key differences between them, as summarized in the table below.

Query widget	Property	Filter widget
Supports attribute filters and spatial queries	Supported query types	Supports attribute filters only
Creates a new output data source that can be used by other widgets	Output method	Does not create an output data source but applies filters directly to widgets connected to the data source
Returns results as a separate output data source and does not directly alter the original layer	Effect on source layer	Directly filters the data displayed by widgets connected to the data source
Can be resized and dragged independently on the page layout, except when the Vertical arrangement style is used	Panel mode at run time	Fixed panel and cannot be resized or dragged independently on the page layout, regardless of the selected arrangement style
Supports message actions and data actions	Actions	Supports message actions only

Usage of the Query and Filter widgets

The Query and Filter widgets are designed for different workflows and serve distinct purposes in ArcGIS Experience Builder.

The Query widget executes queries and returns matching records. It provides map drawing tools and performs spatial queries using spatial relationships, such as intersect and overlap, to retrieve features within a defined area of interest. The results are stored as a separate output data source, which can be used by other widgets. Refer to How To: Display filtered data based on queries using the Feature Info widget in ArcGIS Experience Builder for more information. The widget executes individual queries per layer and does not support grouped filter logic.

The Query widget below shows the query results based on an attribute filter and a buffer distance.

In contrast, the Filter widget applies filters to an existing data source and limits the features displayed. It does not provide tools for performing spatial searches or drawing geometries on the map. However, the widget includes group filters, allowing multiple filters to be organized and applied simultaneously to one or more layers. Refer to How To: Connect filters to multiple data sources in ArcGIS Experience Builder for more information. The Filter widget directly controls what data is displayed across connected widgets using the same data source.

The experience below shows features returned using a group filter.