Filter Operators

Standard filters use operators to compare a source field value against an expected value. This article provides a complete reference of all available operators.

In the standard filter language, field names are enclosed in square brackets — for example, [status] = "active". The bracket form applies to every field name, not just names that contain spaces or special characters, and is the syntax used throughout the examples below.

Operator Reference

Is Equal To

Exact match comparison. The field value must exactly equal the specified value.

[status] = "active"
[priority] = 1
[category] = "network"

Is Not Equal To

Negated match. The field value must not equal the specified value.

[status] != "closed"
[priority] != 4
[assigned_to] != "admin"

Greater Than

The field value must be strictly greater than the specified value. Works with numbers, dates, and strings (lexicographic comparison). For date/datetime fields, build the value with the date() or datetime() formula function (with the formula toggle on) — see the note below.

[priority] > 2
[created_date] > date(2024, 1, 1)
[score] > 75.5

Greater Than or Equal To

The field value must be greater than or equal to the specified value.

[priority] >= 2
[created_date] >= date(2024, 1, 1)
[version] >= 3

Less Than

The field value must be strictly less than the specified value.

[priority] < 4
[updated_date] < date(2024, 6, 1)
[retry_count] < 3

Less Than or Equal To

The field value must be less than or equal to the specified value.

[priority] <= 2
[age] <= 90
[score] <= 100

In

The field value must be one of the values in the specified list. This is more efficient than writing multiple OR conditions for the same field.

[status] in ["active", "pending", "new"]
[priority] in [1, 2]
[category] in ["hardware", "software", "network"]

Tip: Use In instead of chaining multiple OR conditions on the same field. [status] in ["active", "pending"] is equivalent to [status] = "active" OR [status] = "pending" but cleaner and often faster.

Contains

Substring match. The field value must contain the specified text somewhere within it.

[short_description] contains "network"
[notes] contains "urgent"
[email] contains "@company.com"

Note: Case sensitivity depends on the source system. ServiceNow contains queries are case-insensitive; database queries may be case-sensitive depending on the collation.

Does Not Contain

Negated substring match. The field value must not contain the specified text.

[short_description] does not contain "test"
[category] does not contain "draft"
[description] does not contain "ignore"

Is Null

The field has no value (is empty/null). No comparison value is needed.

[assigned_to] is null
[resolved_date] is null
[description] is null

Is Not Null

The field has a value (is not empty/null). No comparison value is needed.

[assigned_to] is not null
[email] is not null
[completed_date] is not null

Operator Summary

Operator	Symbol	Requires Value	Works With
Is Equal To	`=`	Yes	All types
Is Not Equal To	`!=`	Yes	All types
Greater Than	`>`	Yes	Numbers, dates, strings
Greater Than or Equal To	`>=`	Yes	Numbers, dates, strings
Less Than	`<`	Yes	Numbers, dates, strings
Less Than or Equal To	`<=`	Yes	Numbers, dates, strings
In	`in`	Yes (list)	All types
Contains	`contains`	Yes (string)	Strings
Does Not Contain	`does not contain`	Yes (string)	Strings
Is Null	`is null`	No	All types
Is Not Null	`is not null`	No	All types

Notes

Date comparisons: Always build date and datetime values using the date() or datetime() formula functions (with the formula toggle on). PB then translates them into the format the source system expects — you should not type raw date strings like "2024-01-01" as the value.
Numeric comparisons: String values that look like numbers are compared as strings unless the source field is a numeric type. Ensure your field types match.
The In operator has a maximum list size that depends on the source system. For very large lists (1000+ values), consider using a native filter or restructuring your query.
Field names with spaces or special characters: Field names are always written inside square brackets, and the raw field name as it appears on the source goes inside the brackets verbatim — [First Name] and [Internet E-mail] work as-is. A safe-name alias with non-identifier characters replaced by underscores (First_Name, Internet_E_mail) is also recognised, and the field picker offers both forms. See Field Names with Spaces or Special Characters for the full rule and the source["raw name"] escape hatch.

Combining Filter Conditions — AND, OR, NOT logic
Formulas in Filters — using expressions in filter values