Filters Quick Overview
The filters included in the Reporter installation are samples you can delete. You can easily make any filter specific to your need of the moment based on precise fields in the data.
Once made, a filter can be used indefinitely on any report. A filter limits the data which appear on reports. After you name a filter, you can set a limitation(s) which focuses on a specific subset of data. Most often you can set enough criteria when running a report so that you do not even need a filter.
There is no typical filter because a filter’s purpose is to pull out a specific subset of data in a unique database. Usually only one or two settings are enough. The basic steps are:
Step 1.
- Click the Add Filter button.
- Name the filter to identify its intended function.
- Save the name.
- You will see the filter named and highlighted in the left column and also as the first row of the Volunteer Limits tab on the right.
Add and name the filter.
Step 2.
Define the limitation(s) for your filter. This part requires knowing precisely where in the Reporter the specific data you are seeking resides. Practically every field in the Reporter can be filtered on. For instance, if you are interested in records related to the county in which a job or station resides, click on the Job Limits tab or the Station Limits tab. If, instead, it’s where the volunteer lives, find that county code in the Volunteer Limits tab.
Step 3.
- Find the field you want to filter on.
- Highlight it
- Click the Edit Limitations button.
Different kinds of fields are set in different ways.
- Some limitations offer a simple Yes. Then Save.
- Some limitations ask for an age or date range. Then Save.
- To filter on a list of items, click the item once to insert the double arrows >> to its left. Then Save.
- Is blank & Is not blank let you select more generically, based on whether there is anything in the field. When using one of these, do not use any other selections in that limitation.
To select an item on a list, click the item once to insert the double arrows >> to its left:
Step 4. Close filters. A filter can then be used on any report.
Checking and Editing a Filter
To see what is in a filter:
- Highlight the filter name in the list of filters on the left.
- Click the Display Filter button.
- Then you can see which tab and what limitations are set for that filter.
You can always highlight a filter limitation, click Edit Limitation, and adjust the selection(s) or date range to accommodate your current needs.