Easy Build Filter

Starting with the Easy Build at Yes the next steps are the same for either method. They are:

Key:

Options:

What happens:

F6

Add New Filter

The Filter Header screen will appear, once the Filter is finished it will be saved on the Select/Maintain Filters list so that you can run it whenever you like.

OR

    

F7

Add then Run

The Filter Header screen will appear, once the Filter is finished it will be saved on the Select/Maintain Filters list and it will also be run immediately.

Filter Header Screen: This screen is used to Add a New Easy Build Filter. This method of adding a new filter is restricted to only two prompts, Filter ID and Description. You will have NO choice for any of the other values.

Filter Header

Filter ID:

  _____________

    

Description:

  _____________________________________

  

Filters Used:

  1

1=Contact, 2=Activity, 3=Contact/Activity 4=Contact/Contact, 5=Activity/Activity

Focus File:

  1

1=Contact, 2=Activity

  

Filter Type:

  D

D=Dynamic, S=Static, U=Unique

Filter Owner:

  userID

    

Security Class:

  U

U=Unsecured, S=Secured

Last Used
     

Date
     

Time
     

User
     

Count

When you press enter the Filter Maintenance - Easy Build screen will be displayed. You are restricted to Contact data fields and you must choose a data layout. If you want to use the Activity file for your Filter or any combination of the Contact and Activity Files you will need to use the Expert Method of adding a new filter. If you wish to secure your filter you will need to use Expert Build as well.

 

Filter Maintenance - Easy Build

  

Filter ID: ________

Description: ________________________________

Data Layout: ___
         

Selection Fields:

        
         

1st Field ___

    

Compare Type: ___

Upper Case? ___
     

  _______________________
     

  _______________________
     

    _______________________
     

  _______________________

2nd Field ___

    

Compare Type: ___

Upper Case? ___
     

  _______________________
     

  _______________________
     

  _______________________
     

  _______________________

3rd Field ___

    

Compare Type: ___

Upper Case? ___
     

  _______________________
     

  _______________________
     

  _______________________
     

  _______________________
         

F3=Exit

  

F4=Prompt

F11=Filter Sequence

F12=Cancel

The following Easy Build Filter example is looking for all company contact records in California. The criteria is the data in the STA (State) field found on data layout one. The data in the field is all upper case. You would therefore use these steps to add your Filter:

  1. Data Layout: Key 1 (for data layout one)

  2. 1st Field: Key STA (for the appropriate field representing State in your database. If you do not know the field ID (name) than use F4 to display your database design with field ID's. Position your cursor to the exact field and Press Enter (note when you use the prompts the values are in lower case. In Easy Build Filters lower or upper case for the field ID is of no consequence.

  3. Compare Type: Key EQ (equals). If you do not know the compare types than use F4 to display a listbox of the values available. Position your cursor on the compare value desired and Press Enter (note when you use the prompts the values are in lower case. *n Easy Build Filters lower or upper case for the compare type is of no consequence.

  4. Upper Case?: Key Y for Yes.

  5. On the 1st line under Compare Type: Key CA for California. The data in the database is maintained in upper case and each State is abbreviated using Postal Codes for that State. You want the Filter criteria of CA to be converted to upper case for the search.

You have now finished your Easy Build Filter and when you Press Enter the program will place apostrophes around the data typed on the 1st line under the Compare Type, or "CA". Press Enter again to save the changes to the new Easy Build Filter. If you added the Filter using F6 the Filter will be saved on the Select/Maintain Filters list and will need to use an option 1 next to the Filter ID (Press Enter) to run it. If you added the Filter using F7, the Filter will be saved on the Select/Maintain Filters list and it will run immediately.

An active filter changes the sequence and view so that you can move forward (F) and backward (B) through all the company contact records (data layout one) that are in the State of California. The Filter ID (name) appears in the top bar on the contact record screen just to the right of Sequence. The Filtered group of California records is displayed alphabetically by PID. With an active Filter the F4 list function also changes so that the list is based only on the contact records that match the criteria of the Filter, in this case, all company contact records in the State of California. You can take a look at the statistics screen to see how many contact records are in your active filter.

Filter Statistics Screen

To view filter statistics: Press: I (as in Information) This opens an Information screen with statistics. The middle portion of the screen displays active filter statistics.

These statistics are very helpful as a tool to determine if your filter is effective. The display will tell you the number of contact records in the database and the number of contact records in the filtered group of the active filter. As an example, if you know that you have about 15% of your contact records with an address in California and the display says that there are 100,000 contact records you would expect the filtered contact record count to be near 15,000. If it is wildly different you might wish to recheck your filter criteria and or view the filtered contact records to see if you can determine any problems with your criteria. The filter is only as good as the data and the selection of your criteria.

To close the data layout screen, Press Enter

Function Keys:

Key:

What happens:

F4

A list of existing filters is displayed

F7

The Filter Header screen is displayed

F11

The Filter Sequence screen is displayed, select sequence fields, using number 1 through 4 (up to 4 fields maximum) maybe defined.

Additional System Function Keys:

Key:

What happens:

F3

Exits out of your current procedure. Exits out of ActionWare when you are viewing the contact record screen

F12

Cancels the current procedure and returns you to the previous screen

View a List of Filters

To view a List of existing filters in your database use O (Other Options) and F (run a Filter), key F4 for a list. The screen will look similar to this:

Select/Maintain Filters

Easy Build No

Type options, press Enter. Position To:

  ____________

1=Select 2=Change 3=Copy 4=Delete 7=Change then Run 8=Copy then Run

Opt

Filter ID

Filter Description

Filter Type

Files Used

Filt Focus

Sec Cls

Owner ID

__

AAA

Temporary filter - Any Use

Dynamic

Contact

  

U

userID

__

ACB

Acct Type: Customers

Dynamic

Contact

  

U

userID

__

ACC

Acct Type: Prospects

Dynamic

Contact

  

U

userID

__

CALLCUS

Calls made to customers

Dynamic

Con/Act

Con

U

userID

__

CALLPRO

Calls made to prospects

Dynamic

Con/Act

Con

U

userID

__

              

Existing filters are listing in alphabetical order by Filter ID. The description is whatever was decided at the time of the filter's creation and should in some way describe it's purpose. The options available from the Select/Maintain Filter list are self explanatory.

Running Filters

To run a filter from a list of existing filters use option 1 Select from the Select/Maintain Filter screen and Press Enter. The filter will sort through all of the contact records in the database and when it has finished you will see only those contact records that meet the defined criteria displayed for your use. The View and Sequence of the database has been automatically updated to View: FILTER TYPE- 1 and Sequence: PID. The View and Sequence information is found in the top bar on the screen of the contact record. In addition to these changes you will also see the Filter ID (name of the filter) displayed in the bar directly to the right of the Sequence information. You can now move forward and backward through the filtered group of records. They are displayed in alphabetical order by PID if no other sort value exists. If your filter was defined to look for all the contact records in California you would now only be moving forward and backward through all of the contact records with the State of California in the STA (State) field. You can define your filter to look for any data in any field. You can also filter on activity data or any combination of contact data and activity data.

If you know the name of your Filter you do not have to use the list and option 1 Select to run it. An alternate way of running a filter is to use O (Other Options) F (run a filter) and key the Filter ID (name) into the space provided, Press Enter and the filter will run.