Filters

Sometimes you may only want to see a portion of the rows in a data category, rather than its entirety. Filters allow you to narrow the scope of your reports by restricting the amount of data by specified criteria.

For example, imagine a category containing a row for every single sale your company has ever made. You can use a filter to limit the report to only sales from the past month. This also has the benefit of speeding up your reports.

There are three types of filters available in the Filters window:


Standard Filters

Standard filters limit data by only showing rows where the values for a field meet a certain condition.


Adding Standard Filters

In the Filters window, add data fields to filter.

screen.reportwizard_drag_filter_field.png

Dragging a field to the Filter By pane

For each data field, select a condition. When the report is run, the field value for each row is checked against the condition for that field. Only the rows where the field satisfies the condition will show on the report.

To create a filter condition:

  1. Select an operator from one of the following options. This is the condition used to match the data values to your specified filter value or values. Some operators are only available for some data types.

    The following table describes the filter operators and their applicable data types:

    Condition

    Type

    Filter Values

    Matching Values

    Not Matching Values

    Equal To (=)

    Any

    July 4, 2016

    July 4, 2016

    July 4, 2016 12:00 AM

    July 4

    July 4, 2016 2:00 PM

    Less Than (<)

    Number, Date/Time

    July 4, 2016

    July 3, 2016

    July 5, 2016

    Greater Than (>)

    Number, Date/Time

    July 4, 2016

    July 5, 2016

    July 4, 2016 5:00 PM

    July 3, 2016

    Starts With

    Text, Number

    203

    2035550224

    8458081120

    Ends With

    Text, Number

    224

    2035550224

    7188044606

    Contains

    Text, Number

    555

    2035550224

    2038081120

    Between

    Any

    1, 4

    1, 1.5, 3, 4

    0.999, 5

    One Of

    Any

    1, 2, 3, 4

    1, 2, 3, 4

    1.1, 9

  2. Enter a filter value or values, or select them from the list of existing values. Type into the filter field to search for data values to filter.
    Click the SettingsSettingsMenu__1_.pngicon to select whether to search for values that either Start With or Contain the typed text (v2017.3+).

    screen.reportwizard_filter_value_menu.png

    Choosing a filter value

  3. Optional: If you have multiple filters, you can choose how they should be grouped. 

  4. Optional: If you want the report to prompt the user to enter a filter value when the report is run, select Prompt For Value. See Prompting for Values below for details.


Prompting for Values

If you want to let users select their own filter values when they run the report, you can set filters to Prompt For Value. In the Report Options, you can choose whether to let users change the operators and delete filters.

You do not need to enter a value for prompting filters. But if you do, it is entered as the default value for the filter in the prompt dialog.


Formula Filters

As of v2018.2+, the application supports using formulas in the string of a filter, allowing for much more powerful filter statements.

As an example using Northwind data catagories, previously filter statements would be limited to statements such as:

{Orders.OrderDate} > 01/01/2015

Where here, only one object in the filter string is being compared to a value, in the following example filter string that makes use of data objects in a formula could be the following:

{OrderDetails.Quantity}*{OrderDetails.UnitPrice} > 300

Here, the formula {OrderDetails.Quantity}*{OrderDetails.UnitPrice}, which would represent the revenue of the order, is being compared using a filter condition to a numeric value.

As shown in this example, formula filters allow you to make filtering decisions not just based on data objects, but any quantity and value that can be created based on your data objects in a formula, including any possibilities enabled by the formula builder.


Advanced Report Designer

In the Advanced Report designer, formula filters are available in the Filters window of the Report Options. Clicking the Add Formula  button in the lower left will open a Formula Editor window, which will allow for the creation of a formula to use within the filter.

Capture1.PNG

Report Filters window in Advanced Report designer with the Add Formula button

Any appropriate custom functions will also be available to use in the Formula Editor window for the formula filter.


ExpressView designer

In the ExpressView designer, adding a formula filter requires that the formula exist as a column on the report.

Note: Any objects needed for a formula in an ExpressView must also exist as their own column on the report as well.

Capture2.PNG

Add Formula button in the ExpressView designer

Once the formula is created as a column, select the Filters pane and drag the formula column over to the Filters pane to begin creating a filter on the formula. For more information about building formulas in an ExpressView, see the Support Site article on Formulas in ExpressViews.

Note: Certain function are available in the Formula Editor that are not compatible with the context of formula filters, such as CellValue(), FilterValue(), Hyperlink, LoadImage(), PageNumber().


Grouping Filters Together

When a data row is checked against the report filters, the values for each of its data fields are checked against all of the filters for the data fields. By default, it must satisfy every filter condition to show on the report. The combined statement used to filter the data rows is shown in the Summary field.

screen.reportwizard_filter_summary.png

Example of a combined filter statement

You can specify that a data row needs only to satisfy one filter, or a selection of filters, to show on the report.

To specify that a data row needs to satisfy any one of several filters:

  1. On the Filters page, drag the filter rows next to each other.

  2. Select the first filter.

  3. Select OR With Next Filter.

    You should notice that in the Summary field, the And between this filter and the next has changed to Or.

  4. Repeat steps 2-3 for every filter except the last.

You can group filters together, to specify that a data row can match either one group of filters, or another group of filters, to show on the report.

To specify that a data row needs to satisfy any one of several groups of filters:

  1. On the Filters page, drag the filter rows such that the filters are nearest to their group mates.

  2. Select the first filter in the first group.

  3. Select Group With Next Filter.

    You should notice that in the Summary field, there are now parentheses around this filter and the next.

  4. Repeat steps 2-3 for every filter except the last in the first group.

  5. Select the last filter in the first group.

  6. Select OR With Next Filter.

    You should notice that in the Summary field, the And between this filter and the next has changed to Or.

  7. Repeat steps 2-6 for every group of filters. Skip step 6 for the last filter in the last group.


Nesting Filter Groups

Note: This information is intended for advanced users.

Filter groups can be nested arbitrarily. This allows for more detailed control over grouping. The Summary field shows the actual statement used to filter the data. You can make arbitrary groupings by inserting parentheses manually at locations in the statement. Use the following keyboard shortcuts:

  • Ctrl + [ to add an opening parenthesis before the selected filter
  • Ctrl + ] to add a closing parenthesis after the selected filter
  • Ctrl + Shift + [ to remove an opening parenthesis from before the selected filter
  • Ctrl + Shift + ] to remove a closing parenthesis from after the selected filter

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