Filters provide a powerful mechanism for organising and refining records within reports. They also act to guide users in how they should be interacting with the App to perform key tasks. Their flexibility is derived from the wide range of customisation options available, depending on the fields within your applications and the specific information you wish to surface.
This document explains how to configure Base Filters which are the filter conditions that persist on a report before any additional filtering through lenses, pre-sets and custom filtering. To apply a base filter to a Report, you must have access to AppStudio. If you do not have the necessary permissions, please contact your site administrator.
Example Use Case:
A company managing multiple projects may configure a Base Filter so managers can select a Report which immediately views open projects that have been flagged as strategic. This aids in real-time tracking and ensures resources are allocated appropriately. Such smart filtering not only streamlines operations but also aids in predictive analysis.
- Base Filters Structure & Pre-Requisites
- Where to add the Base Filter
- Group By & Sort By (*Table Reports Only*)
- Base Filter Fields
- Migrating Legacy Base Filters
Base Filters Structure & Pre-Requisites
Base filters allows you to present data to Users that is prefiltered to a subset of the Records based on field value criteria. For Table Reports, it will also allow you to set a grouping and a default sort order.
1. Group By: This will group records into headed sets of records for each unique value for the Field selected as the Group By Field. This Grouping is defined by the App Builder and cannot be changed by the end user.
2. Default Sort By: Within the Groupings, Records will then be ordered alphabetically or numerically based on the Field selected as the default sort by. If other Fields in the Report have been selected as Sortable then the sorting can be over-ridden by the end user by selecting one of these.
3. Base Filter Fields: You are then able to set the field criteria that records need to meet to appear in the Report.
Pre-requisite: In order to be able to set a base filter, the Fields that are defined as Group, Sort or Filter Conditions need to be made available for selection. This is done from the filters area by adding them to the list of Fields available for Sorting & Grouping.
Where to add the Base Filter
Base Filters are configured per report, meaning each report can have its own unique default filtering rules. These settings do not apply globally across an app, only to the specific report you modify.
Navigate to the App that contains the report you want to add a Base Filter to.
Open the Reports folder within the app.
Select the specific Report you wish to apply a Base Filter to.
Open the report’s configuration panel, where you can access Group By, Sort By, and Base Filter options.
Group By & Sort By (*Table Reports Only*)
Adding a Group By Field and a Default Sort Order Field are relevant to a Table Report only. For any other type of Report, skip to the Base Filter Fields section of this article
Group By
The first option you'll see is the ability to set a Group By on your Table Report. This property determines how end users interpret the report by categorising records based on a selected field, allowing them to focus on data within each meaningful grouping. When configured, you can only set it once and it cannot be changed within Workspace.
- Group By: Click on the dropdown menu under the "Group By" section. This will display a list of all sortable fields from your app. Choose the one that suits your categorisation needs.
- Group by Descending?: Once you've made your field selection the default will be for it to display the unique groups alphabetically or numerically based on the Field Type of the selected Field. If it make more sense to have reverse alphabetical/numerical ordering then select this option to true.
Below is an example of how a Group By would look and how you can locate what the applied Group By is in workspace.
Sort By
The next option you'll see is the ability to set a Sort By on your report. This function allows you to order records based on a specific field, ensuring that the Records present with a logical sequence. If a Group By has also been selected then it will sort records within the groupings applied. Users are able to select a new sort order from any other Field in the Report that has been set to sortable.
- Default Sort By: Within the "Sort By" section, click on the dropdown menu. This action will present you with all the fields available from your app. Choose the field by which you'd like to arrange the records.
- Sort by Descending?: After selecting the field, the default order will be alphabetically or numerically ascending based on type of the selected field. If it makes more sense for this order to be reversed then select this option to true.
Below is an example of how a Sort By would look and how you can locate what the applied Sort By is in workspace.
Base Filter Fields
This is the ability to set a base record filter on your report. This function allows you to restrict the records on your report based on records meeting value criteria to multiple specified fields, ensuring that the most relevant information is readily accessible.
- Select Base Filter Fields: Once clicked you will be able to select from the sortable Fields in the App to filter by. You can type to find the fields you like and add multiple at a time.
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Filter: This is the main criterion you want to apply to the report.
- Field: This will display the field you have added above with the [ID] next to it.
- Comparison: This dropdown lets you define the kind of relationship you want to evaluate. Options include 'Equals', 'Contains One Of', 'Greater than', and so on.
- Value: Here you'll input the value (or values) you want the chosen field to be compared against. This could be a number, text, date, or any other type of data depending on the field you've selected.
Example: let's say you're working with a Sales Report and only want to display records where the 'Sales Value' exceeds $10,000. You'd set the Field to 'Sales Value', the Comparison to 'Greater than', and the Value to '10,000'.
Below is an example of how a record filter would look and how you can locate what the applied filter is in workspace.
Base Filter - Target Current User
This feature allows reports to dynamically filter to show only the records relevant to the user currently viewing them. For example, in an Action App, a report can now display only the actions where the logged-in user is the owner. This personalised filtering makes reports more focused and actionable, helping users quickly see the information most relevant to them. To enable this select a Person or Person by Team Field in the Base Filter Field and then select 'Current User' as the value.
Migrating Legacy Base Filters
If you're accessing a historic report, you might encounter a message related to the previous base filter system. Here's how to migrate this base filter to the current mechanism:
- Identify the Old Filter: Hover over the message or alert to view the details of the previous base filter.
- Save the Details: Note down or take a screenshot of the old filter details for future reference.
- Clear the Old Filter: Once you have saved the old filter details, please clear it from the report.
- Use the New System: Rebuild the base filter using the updated "Zero Code Builder."
- Refer to Saved Filter: As you rebuild, you can refer to the details you saved from the old filter to ensure consistency in your report criteria.
By following these steps, you can transition smoothly from the old system to the new without losing important filter settings.
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