Creating Filters

Create a Filter for an Alphanumeric Category

To create a filter for an alphanumeric category in a relational data source, complete these steps:

At the top of the Section Data pane, click OptionsSection Filters. This opens the Section Filters dialog box. Click New to open the Create Custom Filter dialog box.

Create Custom Filter Dialog Box
In the Filter name field, accept the default name or provide a different name. For example, if the filter will restrict results to Canada, type a name such as Country Filter for Canada. The filter name appears in the Apply custom filters box in the Section Filters dialog box.
From the Data item drop-down list, select the alphanumeric data item that you want to filter. Recall that alphanumeric categories can be made up of all letters, all numbers, or a combination of the two. They can be physically stored as character or numeric data.(footnote1)
(Optional) If the selected data item enables you to filter on formatted values, then you can select the Filter on formatted values option. Regardless of your selection, the results show formatted values.(footnote2)
From the Operator drop-down list, specify how you want to filter the values from the data source. For example, you might want users to see results that are equal to the filter values.

Different operators might be available based on whether you choose to filter against character values or non-character values. Formatted values are always recognized as character values. However, unformatted values can be character, numeric, dates, or some other type.

If you selected Is missing or Is not missing, then you have created the filter. For all other operators, see Operators and Required Information.

Operators and Required Information

Operator	Required Information
Equal to or Not equal to	If the data item supports displaying values, click Get Values to load values into the Available values box. Use the arrow buttons to move values from the Available values box into the Selected values box. You can also create your own list of values or add to a dynamically generated list. Type each value into the Type a value to add field and then click the arrow button next to the field to add the value into the Selected values box.
Between values or Not between values	If the data item supports displaying values, click Get Values to load values into the Minimum value and Maximum value fields. You can also type the minimum and maximum values.
Contains or Does not contain	This operator is not available for unformatted numeric values. In the Value field, type the text that you want the filter to match. For example, if you type `Assist` for a filter on job title, then the results will contain (or not contain) values such as `Concession Assistant I` and `Marketing Assistant I`.
Match pattern or Does not match pattern	This operator is not available for unformatted numeric values. In the Value field, type the text that you want the filter to match. Use an asterisk () to represent multiple characters or use a question mark (?) to represent any single character. For example, if you type `Sales` for a filter on job title, then the query results will match (or not match) values such as `Sales Manager` and `Sales Rep. I`.
Is less than or Is less than or equal to	One numeric value is required.
Is greater than or Is greater than or equal to	One numeric value is required.

You can also select Browse or Search to find available values. For more information, see Browsing or Searching for Filter Values.
Click OK.
When you access the Create Custom Filter dialog box from the Section Filter dialog box, then the filter that you just created is automatically selected in the Apply custom filters box. When the filter name is selected, the filter expression is shown in the Expression box.

Tip
Custom filters can be saved for future use. To turn off the filter, clear the check box next to the filter name. For more information, see Apply Existing Section Filters.

To save the new filter and exit the Section Filters dialog box, click OK.

Note: If you click Cancel, your new filter is discarded.

(Optional) New filters are automatically added to the existing filter combination expression. By default, new filters are joined using the AND operator, which means that the query results must match all selected filters. For more information, see Combine Filters.

Create a Filter for a Date, Time, or Timestamp Category

To create a filter for a date, time, or timestamp category in a relational data source, complete these steps:

At the top of the Section Data pane, click OptionsSection Filters. This opens the Section Filters dialog box. Click New to open the Create Custom Filter dialog box.
In the Filter name field, accept the default name or provide a different name. For example, if you want to filter the query to return data before a specified time, type a name such as Data Entered Before 5:00pm. The filter name appears in the Apply custom filters box in the Edit Filters dialog box.
From the Data item drop-down list, select the date, time, or timestamp data item that you want to filter.
From the Operator drop-down list, specify how you want to filter the values from the data source. For example, you might want users to see query results that are before or equal to the filter values.

If you selected Is missing or Is not missing, then you have created the filter. For all other operators, see Operators, Category Types, and Required Information.

Operators, Category Types, and Required Information

Operator	Category Type	Required Information
Equal to, Not equal to, After, After or equal to, Before, and Before or equal to	Dates	Use the Date field to type a date or click to use the date picker. Note that the list of valid formats depends on your locale and language.
	Times	Use the Time drop-down lists to select an hour, a minute, and a second in 24-hour time. For example, to specify 5 p.m., select 17, 00, and 00.
	Timestamps	Use the Date field to type a date or click to use the date picker. Use the Time drop-down lists to select an hour, a minute, and a second in 24-hour clock time.
Between values and Not between values	Dates	Use the Minimum and Maximum drop-down lists to specify the minimum and maximum dates. Use the Date fields to type a minimum and maximum date or click to use the date picker. Note that the list of valid formats depends on your locale and language.
	Times	Use the Minimum and Maximum drop-down lists to select a minimum and maximum hour, minute, and second in 24-hour clock time.
	Timestamps	Use the Minimum and Maximum drop-down lists to specify the minimum and maximum dates and times. Use the Date fields to type a date or click to use the date picker. Note that the list of valid formats depends on your locale and language. Use the Time drop-down lists to select the hours, minutes, and seconds in 24-hour clock time.

Click OK.
When you access the Create Custom Filter dialog box from the Section Filter dialog box, then the filter that you just created is automatically selected in the Apply custom filters box. When the filter name is selected, the filter expression is shown in the Expression box.

Tip
Custom filters can be saved for future use. To turn off the filter, clear the check box next to the filter name. For more information, see Apply Existing Section Filters.

To save the new filter and exit the Section Filters dialog box, click OK.

Note: If you click Cancel, your new filter is discarded.
(Optional) New filters are automatically added to the existing filter combination expression. By default, new filters are joined using the AND operator, which means that the query results must match all selected filters. For more information, see Combine Filters.

Section Filters Dialog Box Showing a New, Selected Custom Date Filter and Its Expression

FOOTNOTE 1:The data type is a factor in whether the data item supports filtering on formatted values. This is true for the date, time, or timestamp data types, because formatted values are not permitted for these types even if a format has been applied to the data item.[return]

FOOTNOTE 2: Filtering on formatted values can sometimes adversely affect query performance. If you have questions about whether you should select this option, contact your data source administrator .[return]