Filter Operators

Filter operators allow you to choose how you would like to compare the field in question and the value of that field you want to find.

Wildcards

A wildcard is a placeholder for characters which do not have to be specified. Wildcards can be used in the filter field. For example, the records for all employees whose employee numbers begin with 27 can be retrieved by using a wildcard. In this case, the filter field would be Employee Number, and the value in the field would be 27%. The percent sign indicates that anything can follow the 27. In this particular case, all of the following numbers could be returned: 27, 270, 27462983.

Creating Simple Filters

To create a simple filter: Click the blue filter field. A dropdown box will appear: From the dropdown list, choose the field you would like to search on, such as Point Num. Click on the blue "=" character to choose which operator you would like to use. For more information, please see the Filter Operators section above. In the text field, enter the value you would like to find. Click the Search button to retrieve the records.

To create multiple filters: Click the blue filter field. A dropdown box will appear: From the dropdown list, choose Add New Field. Another filter field will appear below the original one. Click the new filter field. The same dropdown box will appear. From the dropdown list, select the field of interest. Click on the blue "=" character next to each filter field to choose which operator you would like to use for each of the filter fields. For more information, please see the Filter Operators section above. In the text fields, enter values to search on for both filter fields. Click the Search button to retrieve the records.

Creating Complex Filters

Complex filters are more powerful than simple filters because they can be combined to further refine the data displayed.

Filters in the same column are joined with an AND operation. The records retrieved must meet all of the conditions of all of the filters in that row.

Filters in the same row are joined by an OR operation. The records retrieved must meet all of the conditions of at least one of the filters.

To create a complex filter: From the Records menu at the bottom of the screen, choose Edit Complex Filter. This will change the filter area to two columns, titled Filter 1 and Filter 2. Double click in a field to create a filter. You will be shown a screen with value fields for Display Name, Test, and Value. Fill in the Display Name, Test, and Value fields as desired. The Display Name and Test fields are both dropdown lists. Click OK. The new filter will now appear in the filter grid.

Creating Advanced Filters

The basic filtering technique (selecting field, test, and value) works for most situations and is preferred because it ensures correct syntax in the query statements. More advanced filters may be created by checking the Plain Text Filter box on the Edit Filter Item dialog box and entering a custom SQL statement. This provides the opportunity to create unique filters based on the syntax of the particular database view by inputting text that will be inserted into the where clause without modification.

To create an advanced filter: From the menu at the bottom of the screen, click Records > Edit Complex Filter. This will change the filter area to two columns, titled Filter 1 and Filter 2. Double click in a field to create a filter. You will be shown a screen with value fields for Display Name, Test, and Value. Select the Plain text filter checkbox at the bottom of the screen. This will change the screen into a large text area. Type your custom filter into the text area. Click OK. The new filter will now appear in the filter grid.