Troubleshooting Course Filtering Issues in Empath

Summary

If the course filters on the left side of the Courses Dashboard do not appear to be working, you may see one of three symptoms: nothing loads, the wrong content loads, or the system appears to load indefinitely. This KB explains the common causes for each scenario and offers troubleshooting steps you can take before opening a support ticket.

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Symptoms You May Encounter

You may experience one or more of the following behaviors when applying a course filter:

1. A filter returns no results at all
   The screen remains blank, with no courses displayed.

2. The filter appears to load but never completes
   You may see blank course outlines or loading skeletons that never populate.

3. The filter returns the wrong content
   For example, a course titled VCIO does not show up when the VCIO filter is selected.

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Scenario 1: A Filter Returns No Results

If the filter returns nothing:

• It is very likely that no content exists that is currently tagged with that filter condition.

• This may be intentional. Some filters represent future content categories we have not yet published.

• It may also be an oversight and the course should have been tagged. This is especially true if:

  • You searched for a course that clearly matches the category

  • The course title or description contains the filter keyword

What to do:
Send us a note through the support chat telling us:

• The filter you used

• The course you expected to see

This helps us identify incorrect tagging on our side.

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Scenario 2: The Filter Appears to Load Forever

If the system shows blank elements or seems stuck loading:

Step 1. Check for browser or security tools blocking the content

The filter panel relies on loading course tiles dynamically. Browser extensions or security tools can interfere with this, including:

• Ad blockers

• Tracking protection

• Cookie blocking tools

• Script-blocking browser extensions

• DNS filtering platforms

• Browser hardening software

• ZTNA or SASE filtering layers

Quick test:
Open Empath in a clean browser you do not normally use, with no extensions installed.
Examples:

• Microsoft Edge (unmodified)

• Firefox (fresh install)

• Chrome Guest Mode

If the filter loads properly, something in your main browser or network environment is blocking the request.

Refer to the KB on Whitelisting Empath for details on what to allow.

Step 2. Be aware of large catalog loads

Some filters, especially the Microsoft Learn catalog, return thousands of elements.
The Microsoft Learn flag pulls over 3,600 individual items, which may take several seconds to load.

If the loading resolves after a delay, this is expected behavior.

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Scenario 3: The Filter Loads Wrong or Incomplete Content

If the filter displays incorrect courses or something clearly missing:

• The course may not be tagged correctly internally

• A query or search index may need to be rebuilt

• There may be a transient issue with your account or tenant

• A database query issue may be occurring on our end

This is not expected behavior.
Please contact support so we can investigate.

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When to Open a Support Ticket

Open a ticket if:

• You waited 5 to 10 seconds and nothing loads

• You tested in a clean browser and the same issue occurs

• A filter returns the wrong items

• A specific filter that previously worked is now failing

• You believe a course should appear but does not

Please include:

• The filter you selected

• The exact course or topic you were expecting

• The browser you were using

• Whether you tested in a clean browser

• Approximate time the issue occurred

This information allows us to trace logs and identify the underlying problem quickly.