The reporting tool allows a lot of flexibility through utilizing filters to sift through the data that should be seen on a report. This document will be providing instruction on how to utilize grouped filters, date range filters, and expressions in order to review the right data in various types of reports.
GroupedFilters
Grouped filters are commonly used when there is a need to see two data elements from the same field on the same report. For example, if the report requires an output of two separate Work Order types but there are five WO types available on a dropdown there would be necessity to use the Grouped Filters feature. We will demonstrate this feature by creating a report:
Step 1 - Select the Plus button to Add a New Record
Step 2 - Type WO’s - EmergencyandSafety as the description, and include any necessary comments in the comments box
Step 3 - Select the appropriate main table, in this case WORK(Work Orders Table)
Step 4 - Select the fields to be shown on your report output: WONo, WODate, BriefDescription, WOType, AssignTo. Note:Thefieldsthatarebeingusedtofilterdonothavetoshowonthereport; however, inthiscasewewanttoknowwhatrecordsareEmergencyorSafetyWOTypes, sothefilteredfieldwillbeincludedasaSelectedColumn.
Now, we are ready to set the Group Filter. First, select the “Add Group” button within the Filter box. This adds a similar screen with similar options to the Filter box, enabling the grouped filters feature.
A - Select the field to Filter by, which in this case is WOType which should be equal to EMERGENCY. Note: Youareabletosearchforthefieldbytypingintotheboxafterselectingthedropdown.
B - Next, change the operator from “And” to “Or” - The darker option is the one that is currently selected
C - Click the “Add Rule” button within this particular group in order to include the additional value that you want to include on your report
D - Include the additional WO Type of SAFETYwithin your grouped filter
Finally, run the report to show only Emergency and Safety work orders listed
DateRangeFilters
Sometimes, it may be necessary to see a fixed date range every time a report is generated. For example, if work orders in the month of January 2016 are all that we should see on a report then we would need to select a date range from the first day of January to the last day of January.
Step 1 - Select the Plus button to Add a New Record
Step 2 - Type WO’s - January 2016 as the description, and include any necessary comments in the comments box
Step 3 - Select the appropriate main table, in this case WORK(Work Orders Table)
Step 4 - Select the fields to be shown on your report output: WONo., WODate, BriefDescription, AssignTo
This is the point where we are ready to determine the date range on the report.
A - Within the Filter box, select “Add Rule” which will give you the ability to select the field you want to Filter by. This is where we will select WODate.
B - Selecting “Is In Range” will reveal two date fields so that we are able to enter two separate values for the from and through date. The default operator of value is acceptable for this filter.
C - Enter a from and a through date to include a static date range filter to this report
NOTE: Clickingthecalendariconswillenabledateselection. Typingintothedatefieldsisanotheracceptablemethodofenteringdates.
Finally, run the report to show only work orders that have been created between your selected static date range
AskAtRuntimeFeature- Commonly, thedaterangewithinareportwillneedtobedifferenteachtimethereportisrunratherthanhavingastaticdaterangelikeintheexampleusedabove. Underthedropdownwheretheoperatorisselected, “AskAtRuntime” isanotheroption. Thisfilteringoptionwillremovethedatesfromthefilteronthereport, butincludethemonascreenthatwillbeseenafterrunningthereport. Afterfillinginthedesireddaterange, thereportwouldbeabletodynamicallyreturntherequireddata.
Expressions
Sometimes, there may be a need to tell the report writer what to do with the data you need to see. Expressions enable manipulation of data through utilizing basic code that the system uses in order to understand the information you are inputting. For example, an expression would be needed if we wanted to see work orders from the last 30 days from today’s date on a report.
Step 1 - Select the Plus button to Add a New Record
Step 2 - Type WO’s - Last 30 Daysas the description, and include any necessary comments in the comments box
Step 3 - Select the appropriate main table, in this case WORK(Work Orders Table)
Step 4 - Step 4 - Select the fields to be shown on your report output: WONo, WODate, BriefDescription, WOType, AssignTo
Now, we are ready to include the expression that will tell this report only to return work orders that were created within the last 30 days.
A - Within the Filter box, select the “Add Rule” button which will give you the ability to select the field you want to Filter by. This is where we will select WODate.
B - Selecting the “Is greater than or equal to” selection will tell the report to only return any dates greater than or equal to the chosen expression, which in this case is 30 days before the date for which the report is being run
C - The expression operator must be selected, revealing a text field that can be typed into directly
D - Type the expression that will return the type of data needed for this report, which in this case would be DATE()-30. Note:DATE() isanexpressionthatmeans “today’sdate” andplacing-30nexttothisexpressionsubtractsthenumericvalueoftoday’sdateby 30.
Finally, run the report to see any work orders that were created within the last 30 days.
NOTE: Asseenabove, thedefaultsortisbyascendingorder (orearliestdatefirst). Ifthepreferredviewwouldbebydescendingorder (ormostcurrentdatefirst), theOrderByboxcanbeusedtochangethesortorder.
