How to use Advanced Search (Filters) in ChilliDB
The Advanced Search feature of ChilliDB can be found in most of the different modules. It is used to build searches based on any of the data that is stored in that module and be a great way to get a quick look at your data.
A common area in which these Advanced Searches are used is in the Contacts module. To access and start using Advanced Search:
· Go to the Contacts button, the menu will show three categories: Create, Search and Advanced search.
· Click on Advanced search.
· On the left hand side it will show the options for All, My contacts and New Filters.
· Click on New Filters to start creating.
In the New Filter section, there are three different options to select. Those options are Filters – Display Columns – Sort Columns. These allow you to filter the data based on certain conditions and to also choose how the data is to be displayed.
Filters: There are generally two basic requirements though by selecting Show Filter Options, we do have more giving us more control over how the filter is to function:
1) Field 2) Value
Under Field, we are able to select a field from which we have data stored against to filter on. More filters can be added as needed.
Show other Filters:
There are some other options available in the filters that can be accessed by clicking on the Show Filter Options. It will show more areas to search such as Field, operator and value. It can also be seen if the value is equal or not equal. These details are given below in the screenshot. Moreover, if one filter is not enough, again there is an option to add more filters.
“Starts With”: An example of this filter can be seen in the screen shot below:
If we want to search for the people in an organisation, who have a surname that starts with M. Firstly, in the Field section, choose “Surname” and in the Operator value choose “Starts with”. Then, enter “M” as the Value. After that click on Apply Filter and it will show the results for all those surnames that start with M.
The results are shown below in the screenshot with all the surnames that start with letter “M”.
Is Equal: The Is Equal operator is used to search for data based on a specific value that has been entered in a field. For example, if we want to search for specific Contact Types, such as Staff, then in the Field, choose Type, put Is Equal as the operator and in the value choose Staff. Then click on the Apply Filter button. The screenshot is displayed below:
The search results after applying Is Equal are shown below:
Is not equal: This operator is used when we want to exclude certain data from our searches. For example, we may want to exclude a particular Type of Contact.
The next screenshot will show that the search has completed successfully and shows the results when using the Is Not Equal operator.
Is Null: The Is Null operator is used when searching for records that have data missing. This is useful when reviewing data to check, for example, client records that are missing a phone number. The screenshot below shows how to set up the Is Null operator as a filter. Notice that the Value field should be blank.
Is One Of: This operator is used when you want to include a number of options to filter on rather than just one.
For example: If we want to search for business mail addresses from multiple states, for example QLD and NSW, in the Field choose Business Mail State, select the Is one of operator then, in the Value field, multiple states can be selected.
Results appear as shown below.
Does not contain: The Does not Contain operator is another way of excluding certain data when running a search. For example, if the user wants to search for postcodes that do not contain “75”, this operator helps to locate such data. In the Field, select Business Mail Postcode and operator, select “does not contain”. At last, put the value of 75 and click on the apply filters buttons. It will show the result of all postcodes that does not contain 75 in them.
The results display the contacts without postcode 75 as shown below:
Display Columns: This feature allows you to select which columns of data you need to have displayed. For example: Full name, Type, Primary organisation, Business mail, Business Fax, Business mobile etc. In this, way simple reports can be designed in conjunction with the filters above that can then be exported in a variety of file formats.
Sort Columns: This gives you the option to select how your data will be sorted based on the columns you have chosen.
After attempting all the actions, click on the Apply Filters to display the results immediately, or click Save if you plan to use these search settings again. These can saved as My Filters, meaning only the user will have access to them, or as Shared Searches, meaning all users will be able to access and use the search.