Provide option to enable/disable timebased range queries to be added to visualization/search

[arosenheinrich]

Hi,

building visualizations and dashboards for kibana 5.0.0-rc1 I encountered the problem that when you create a new index pattern you have to specify if the index contains time-based events. When the answer is yes for each search or visualization a range query (i assume) on the time field based on the selected time range is added.

This causes the problem that there is currently no way to use this pattern in a time independent way. Image an use case where I want to show a metric of all documents within an index as well as a date histogram of the creation date. This can not be done with one index pattern, as my first request will restrict me to a certain time range because I need a time field for the second request.
Adding the same pattern twice, once with a time field and once without, is also not possible as the second creation will currently overwrite the first one.

I would like to propose to add an option to search and visualization if the current element should evaluate the time field or not (meaning if the range query on time field is added to the user query). This way I can answer both requests with the same index pattern. Additionally it might be a helpful thing to somehow mark the element (with an icon perhaps) if it evaluates time field or not, so that e.g. in a dashboard for the user it is understandable why certain elements might change when time range is changed while others are not.

[tbragin]

@arosenheinrich I feel that there are several requests in here and perhaps they may already be captured in the following tickets. Could you take a look and comment on those?

Allowing duplicate index patterns
#3351

Override time filter per-dashboard panel
#3578

[arosenheinrich]

It's not exactly the same, as it would not be a duplicate pattern but an option if time field should be evaluated or not. But result and I guess intentions are the same, so this would solve my problem. Thanks.

Duplicate pattern with different time fields would be cool too, btw ;)

[tbragin]

@arosenheinrich The option to evaluate time field or not seems like a narrower scope case of #3578, however. What if you didn't have to define anything additional on the index pattern itself, but at the visualization level had the override to ignore the time field?

[arosenheinrich]

Yes, thats what I proposed, an option on search/visualization would be the most flexible (and probably easiest?) solution.

Thanks!

[tbragin]

Great - in that case, I will close in favor of #3578 and transfer your comment there.