Progress
Report Builder
User’s Guide
Filtering Basics
When you create a filter, you specify one or more conditions by which Report Builder limits the data it displays. Each condition contains:
If you are specifying multiple conditions, also include:
Lastly, you can also reverse the result of the comparison by using the NOT operator.
NOTE: If you are using outer joins in Report Builder and your report contains filter conditions, Report Builder applies the filter conditions after it processes the joins. As a result, the composite table might contain a different set of records than the records you obtain from an equivalent join and WHERE clause in a 4GL procedure.The following sections describe condition fields, comparison operators, and comparison values.
Condition Fields
The condition field can be a database field, calculated field, aggregate field, or memo field. See the following sections for information about filtering on aggregate, calculated, or memo fields.
Comparison Operators
The comparison operator defines the relationship by which Report Builder evaluates the condition. Table 10–1 describes each of the available operators.
The comparison drop-down list contains only the operators that are valid for use with the specified condition field.
NOTE: In Report Builder, the not equals (<>) operator treats the UNKNOWN value differently than the Progress 4GL. If a filter condition uses the not equals operator, and if the condition field for a record has the UNKNOWN value, the filter condition screens out the record, unless the comparison value is also UNKNOWN. For example, a condition such as Order-Line.Discount <> 0 screens out any records whose Order-Line.Discount value is UNKNOWN. In the 4GL, the same filter condition accepts all records whose discount value is UNKNOWN.Comparison Values
The comparison value is the value to which Report Builder compares the condition field. The comparison value can be:
- A field of the same data type as the condition field.
- A constant value, such as a number or character string. Enclose character strings in quotation marks(“ “). The value can be up to 502 characters long. If the value is a character string, you can enter 500 characters and the quotation marks.
- A question mark (?) to match an UNKNOWN value.
- For IN-LIST, a list of constant values, any of which can be a character string, numeric, or date value depending on the data type of the field you selected from the Field drop-down list. Separate items in the list with commas. The values can be up to 530 characters long.
- For IN-RANGE, a pair of constant values that define a range.
- For MATCHES, a character string that defines a pattern using one or more of the valid wildcard characters: an asterisk (*) or a period ( .).
When you specify a comparison value, consider the following guidelines:
- If you specify =, <>, or IN-LIST as the comparison operator, you must enter the exact value you want to match in the Comparison Value fill-in field. For example, MA matches MA, not Massachusetts or Maine.
- If either the condition or the comparison field values are case sensitive, then the filter search is case sensitive.
- If you specify a date constant for the comparison value, you must use the “mmddyy” format.
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