Creating a Data Filter

When you create a data filter, you specify the list that contains the fields you want to filter, the values for each field, and the users who have access to the filter.

To create a data filter

1. Access the Data Filter portlet (Accessing the Data Filter Portlet).
2. Select the portlet to which you want to apply the data filter.
3. Click Submit.

   Civic Platform displays a list of the filters defined for that portlet.

4. Click New to create a new filter.

   Civic Platform displays a blank form.

   
   
   

5. Enter a name and description to help you identify the purpose of the data filter.
6. In the Search By section, do the following:
   1. Use the first drop-down to select the Field you want to filter.

      Note: The portlet you select at the beginning of this procedure determines which filter fields are available in this drop-down: The filter fields for the Record List portlet include all the fields that display in the record search form, any custom fields, Address/Parcel/Owner (APO) template fields*, and module. *Please note that only record-searchable APO template attributes are available. The filter fields for the Reference Address (Parcel, or Owner) portlet include the address (parcel, or owner) fields, and APO template fields. The filter fields for other portlets are the fields that display in the search form for each portlet.

      • If you select Custom Fields as the filter field in the drop-down, Civic Platform displays the Custom Fields groups page. Select a Custom Fields group code, and then find and click the desired field in the navigation tree to specify the field you want to filter.

        
        
        

      • If you select Address Template, Parcel Template, or Owner Template as the filter field in the drop-down, Civic Platform displays all the active template attributes. Click the desired attribute to specify the field you want to filter.

        
        
        

   2. Use the second drop-down to select the Relational Operator you want to use. See Relational Operators.

   3. In the third field enter the Value you want to compare the field against. The value must match a value in your agency’s database. You can click the button to the right of the field and select a variable from the Variable picker, or enter the variable into the field manually.

      See Data Filter Parameters.

      
      
      

      • If you select a user name field such as Requestor, Civic Platform displays three fields where you can specify the first, middle, and last name of a person. See User Name List Portlets and Search Fields.

        
        
        

        However, if you pick a variable as the search criteria, Civic Platform turns the three fields into a read-only Full Name field and populates the field with the specified variable.

   4. If you are filtering additional fields, enter the logical operator in the fourth field to determine how you want to combine the field-level filters. See Logical Operators.

7. If you are filtering more than one new field:

   1. Click the New Field button located at the top of the portlet.

      Civic Platform adds a condition to the Search By section for the additional field.

   2. Repeat for every new field.
8. To delete a field from your query, select the field and click Delete Field.
9. Click the Preview SQL button to view the SQL in the Resulting Query text field.

10. Click Submit.

    Civic Platform displays a message informing you whether you created the data filter successfully, and updates the data filter list.

    Table 1. Relational Operators

    Operator	Description
    !=	Not equal to
    <	Less than
    <=	Less than or equal to
    =	Equal to
    >	Greater than
    >=	Greater than or equal to
    IS NOT NULL	Used to query fields that contain any value, regardless of what that value is. When you use this operator, do not use a variable in the third field.
    IS NULL	Used to query fields that do not have a value. For example, you might set up a data filter to query for records associated with a certain department, but not to any individual within the department. When you use this operator, do not use a variable in the third field.
    Like	The alphabetic character field values that you want to include in the filter or query contain a string (alphabetic characters). For example, if you want to set up a query to list all contacts with the string “Jeff” in their email addresses, choose “Like” as the relational operator and enter “Jeff” as the value.