How to Create and Use Filters

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How to Create and Use Filters

As a report user you can create a filter and activate the filter for future use. The filter can be defined and saved in the database.

You can create two types of filters:

Permanent filters: These filters are saved in the database by name. A permanent filter can be selected during browse and can be associated with a logical view. If the selected logical view is specified, the filter is automatically applied.
Temporary filters: These filters are created as needed while browsing and are not saved in the database.

You create filters to:

Assign the attributes to the matched text or line, including color, highlight, and whether to display the line
Use Boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT) to search for text
Perform multiple comparisons
Print the FILTER results

Example

To demonstrate the use of filters, here is a simple example showing how you can customize the view of your reports.

The original report lists all accounts, including telephone numbers and cost centers:

CA View Browse - PROVRPT ------- Rec 0000000 Pg 0000000.000 Lock 00 Col 001 080 Command ===> Scroll ===> PAGE ********************************* TOP OF DATA ********************************** .SARPAGE 1 . . TBEXPFCN TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILLING . FREQUENTLY CALLED NUMBERS . FOR PERIOD 05/25/2013 THRU 06/01/ ........................................................---------NAME---------- ..DIALED NUMBER........COSTCENTER ....STAT/AUTH CD.....LAST...............FIRS . 216 222 3333 ACCOUNTING SERVICES 15 2230 ACCOUNTING SERVICES . 216 222 3344 PRINT 15 2635 PRINT . 216 222 3355 SPECIALTY AUTO APM 15 2657 COLLIN DARRY . 216 222 3366 OUTSIDE PROD MGR 15 2411 LAMBERS DAVID . 216 222 3534 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2463 HUMAN RESOURCES . 216 222 3360 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2465 RUSSEL RACHA . 216 222 3560 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2647 HENRY WILLI . 216 222 3360 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2465 RUSSEL RACHA . 216 222 3530 TRAINING 15 2647 HENRY SHARI . 216 222 4233 TRAINING 15 2646 SOFTWARE TRAINING . 312 555 2012 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2465 WORTH KENNE

You create a filter to display only those lines that contain the cost center HUMAN RESOURCES. Use the WHERE command to verify online that the cost centers begin in column 19 and finally define the filter specification. The filter in this example specifies that CA View must display each line containing the text HUMAN RESOURCES starting in column 19. (By leaving the Col End field, blank, you specify that CA View is to start in column 19 and check for the length of the specified text string.)

The report that is browsed with the filter selected and activated is as follows:

CA View Browse ---- PROVRPT ---- Rec 0000000 Pg 0000001.013 Lock 00 Col 001 080 Command ===> Scroll ===> PAGE ********************************* TOP OF DATA ********************************** . 216 222 3534 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2463 HUMAN RESOURCES . 216 222 3360 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2465 RUSSEL RACHA . 216 222 3560 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2647 HENRY WILLI . 216 222 3360 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2465 RUSSEL RACHA . 312 555 2012 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2462 WORTH KENNE ******************************** BOTTOM OF DATA ********************************

Note: The role Report User also includes and denotes the roles of System Administrator or End User.

The following diagram describes how a report user creates and uses filters.

How to Create and Use Filters Scenario_1

To create and use filters follow these steps:

Create a Permanent Filter

Define a Permanent Filter

Select and Activate a Permanent Filter

Verify the Filtered Report Results with the Applied Filter

Create a Permanent Filter

You can create permanent filters and save them in the database by name. These filters can be used while browsing reports to display customized views of reports based on your specific requirements. A permanent filter can also be specified within a logical view. If specified within the logical view, the filter is applied whenever the logical view is selected or when viewing a report using the logical view.

Important! If a filter name is specified within multiple logical views, then any modifications that are made to the existing filter affect all the logical views using that filter.

Follow these steps:

Enter the DEFINE FILTER or DEF FILT command from the primary menu or, while browsing a report, enter FIL S and press Enter.
The Filter Definition Specification List panel appears with the list of filters.
From the command line, specify:
S filter-name

where

filter-name

Specifies the name of a new or existing filter
Press Enter.
The filter name that is specified opens. If the filter does not exist, a new filter is created.

Note: You can create a temporary filter as needed while browsing a report. To create a temporary filter:
- Specify the following command on the command line of the browse panel:
  FILTER CREATE or
  FIL C
  
  The Filter Definition Specification panel is displayed.
- Specify the filtering criteria and press PF3 or type END to return to browse. To apply the temporary filter to the display of the report, activate the filter with the FILTER ON or FIL N command. To return to the view of the report without the filter applied, deactivate the temporary filter with the FILTER OFF or FIL F command.

Define a Permanent Filter

A permanent filter can be defined and saved in the database by a name. When, you select or create a filter from the filter definition selection list the filter definition specifications panel is displayed. You can define the filter on this panel.

Follow these steps:

From the Filter Definition Specifications panel, specify:
- The area of the report page and line to be searched
- A rule containing the text strings to be found
- The action to take when the rule is true (color, underscore, do not display, and so on)
Enter PF3 to save the filter definition in the database.

The following illustration displays the Filter Definition Specifications panel:

CA View ALL ---------- Filter Definition Specifications ---- Row 00001 of 00001 Command ===> Scroll ===> PAGE Filter ID ---> FILTER1 Description ===> THIS IS TEST FILTER1 Emphasis Filter Specifications: C H L Records Columns l l o Sel Beg End Beg End Op Text Type Show r t c 19 EQ 'HUMAN RESOURCES’ N ******************************* Bottom of Data ********************************

Field Descriptions

The Filter Definition Specifications panel contains the following fields:

Lines: Beg and End

Specifies the lines on the unfiltered report that should be searched.

Specify neither Beg nor End to search the entire page
Specify only Beg to search for that one line
If both Beg and End are specified, only those lines specified (including all between) are searched.

Columns: Beg and End

Specifies the columns on the unfiltered report that should be searched.

If neither Beg nor End is specified, the entire line is searched.
If only Beg is specified, only that one column is searched.
If both Beg and End are specified, only those columns specified (including all between) are searched.

Op

Specifies the comparison operator.

The options are:

EQ (equal)
NE (not equal)
LT (less than)
GT (greater than)
LE (less than or equal)
GE (greater than or equal)
Left or right parentheses.

Text

The data that is being searched for on the unfiltered report page.

The text is enclosed in single quotes if you do not supply them.
The text searching is case-sensitive.

Note: If you want to include blank spaces preceding or following the text, you must explicitly specify the quotes around that text.

Type

The Boolean connectors: AND, OR, NOT

The NOT connector must appear on its own line, and it refers to the line that follows it.
When using AND, all comparisons must have the same line numbers.

Show

Specifies whether lines that match the specified criteria are to be displayed (Y or N)

Clr

Specifies the color to be used for the displayed line. The options are:

white, red, blue, green, pink, yellow, or turquoise.

Note: Only the first letter of the color must be specified.

Hlt

Specifies the highlight attribute to be used for the displayed line. The options are:

underscore, blink, or reverse video.

Note: Only the first letter of the highlight attribute must be specified.

Loc

Specifies the coloring and highlighting to be applied to the report line. You can specify one of the following values:

A: Apply to ALL occurrences of the specified Text string on the report line.
F: Apply to the first occurrence of the specified Text string on the report line.
L: Apply to the entire report line.

Select and Activate a Permanent Filter

You can select a filter and activate or deactivate it for your browse session. If you specify a filter name on the logical view definition panel, that filter is automatically selected and activated when you browse. The filter can be used to generate a customized report only after it is activated.

Follow these steps:

From the command line of the browse panel, specify:
FILTER SELECT or
FIL S

The Filter Definition Specification List panel appears with the list of filters.
From the command line of the Filter Definition Specification List panel, specify:
S filter-name or

Select a filter by placing an ’S’ next to the filter-name

where,

filter-name

Specifies the name of an existing filter
Press Enter.
The filter is selected and you are taken back to the report browse panel.
From the command line of the browse panel, specify:
FILTER ON or
FIL N

The report is now displayed with the selected filter applied.

Note: You can deactivate a filter by using the FILTER OFF or FIL F command from the command line of the browse panel. The filter remains selected and can be edited, but the report is displayed without the filter being applied.

Verify the Filtered Report Results with the Applied Filter

After you create and activate a filter, browse the report to verify that the filter is applied.

For example, you create a filter that displays only those lines including the cost center HUMAN RESOURCES and does not display the lines that contain the 216 area code.

The following report lists all accounts, including telephone numbers and cost centers:

Create the filter by using the following filter specifications:

CA View ALL ---------- Filter Definition Specifications ----- Row 00001 of 00002 Command ===> Scroll ===> PAGE Filter ID ---> FILTER2 -Emphasis-- Description ===> THIS IS TEST FILTER2 Filter Specifications: C H L Lines Columns l l o Sel Beg End Beg End Op Text Type Show r t c 19 EQ 'HUMAN RESOURCES' Y 3 EQ '216' N ******************************* BOTTOM OF DATA ********************************

Select the filter and activate it. With the filter applied, the following view of the report is displayed:

CA View Browse - PROVRPT ------- Rec 0000000 Pg 0000001.067 Lock 00 Col 001 080 Command ===> Scroll ===> PAGE ********************************* TOP OF DATA ********************************** . 312 555 201 HUMAN RESOURCES 15 2465 WORTH KENNE ******************************** BOTTOM OF DATA *********************************