Filtering data

A filter specifies the conditions that rows must meet to be retrieved from a table.

About this task

The filter is based on a specific column in a table, but it affects the whole table. Also, only rows that meet the filter criteria are retrieved from other tables.

You can create filters at the table level, which allows you to add multiple filters at once, or at the column level.

Procedure

  1. In the data module tree or in the diagram, locate the table for which you want to create filters.
  2. Expand the table in the data module panel, and from the column context menu, click Filter.
    Tip: You can also right-click the table in the diagram, and click Manage filters from there.
  3. Select the filter values in the following way:
    1. If the column data type is integer, you have two options to specify the values: Range and Individual items. When you choose Range, use the slider to specify the value ranges. When you choose Individual items, select the check boxes associated with the values.
    2. For columns with numeric data types other than integer, use the slider to specify the range values.
    3. For columns with date and time (timestamp) data types, specify a range of values before, after, or between the selected date and time, or select individual values.
    4. For columns with text data types, select the check boxes associated with the values.
  4. Optional: To select values that are outside the range that you specified, click Invert.
  5. Click OK.

Results

After you create a filter, the filter icon filter icon is added for the table and column in the data module panel and in the diagram.

What to do next

To view, edit, or remove the filters defined for a table, select the Manage filters context menu option for the table, and click the Filters tab in the table properties.

To edit the filter, click its expression, make the modifications, and click OK. To remove a filter from the table, select the remove icon remove icon for the filter.

Tip: To edit a filter on a single column, from the column context menu in the data module panel, click Filter to open the filter definition.