Using Dynamic Filters

Dynamic filters are a set of fields and values that can be configured to appear on the left side of a report. These filters allow you to quickly narrow down the data displayed to only those records you care about. If the report is shown on a table Home page, the dynamic filters appear there as well.

Using dynamic filters

The filterable values for a field appear indented beneath the field name. If a field has many values and you're not interested in filtering on it, you can collapse it by clicking the arrow to the left of the field name. (The Company and Priority fields are collapsed in this manner in the image above.)

• Click a field value to limit the list shown to records containing that value. You can tell when a filter is in effect, because the value is highlighted in the list of filters, and the filtered value is shown at the top of the list, next to the Search these records box.

  

• Click multiple values for a single field to show all records with any of those values.

• Click a value in each of two fields to show only records with both values.

  

• Click a highlighted field value to remove that filter. You can also remove it by clicking the x icon next to the filter shown beside the Search these records box.

Setting dynamic filters for pre-existing reports

For users with reports created before May 2013, Quickbase includes a one-time way to turn on dynamic filters for those reports.

To turn on dynamic filters for all common reports:

1. Click a table on the Table bar.

2. Click Settings on the Page bar.

3. Click Reports & charts.

4. There is a message box above the list of reports. Click the Turn on filters for all common reports button to turn on dynamic filters for all reports in your app, not just the current table's reports.

   This message also appears on the Manage Reports page (accessible from App management on the app settings page).

To turn on dynamic filters for all personal reports:

1. Click the user dropdown on the Global bar.

2. Choose My personal settings in this app.

3. Click My reports & charts on the left side of the page.

4. There is a message box above the list of reports. Click the Turn on filters for all personal reports button to turn on dynamic filters for all personal reports in your app.

Setting dynamic filters for a single report

You can set the dynamic filters that appear on a report using the Report Builder. Dynamic filter settings on a report override any default settings that may exist.

To specify a set of dynamic filters for a report:

1. Open the report in the Report Builder.

   • Use the reports panel to find and open the report. If the report is already displayed in your browser, click the Customize this Report link on the Page bar.

   • Otherwise, access a list of reports and click the report name. A list of all reports for a table is accessible from the Reports & charts settings page. A list of all reports in an app is accessible from the Manage Reports page. A list of all personal reports is accessible from the My reports & charts page.

2. In the Filters section, see Dynamic filters. These controls let you indicate whether to show dynamic filters, and which fields will be shown for filtering. You can choose to hide dynamic filters (None), use the default dynamic filters (Use the dynamic filters defined in default report settings), or specify which fields to show (Custom).

   Note: If you choose to hide dynamic filters, you can also choose to hide the Search box that appears at the top of the report. To do so, choose None, then select the Allow users to search using the Quick Search field checkbox.

3. If you chose Custom, you can specify up to five dynamic filters. The fields shown in the list box on the left are the fields that can be used as dynamic filters. The current set of dynamic filters is shown in the list box on the right. Drag fields out of the list box on the right to remove them; drag fields into the list box to add them to the set of dynamic filters for the report. (You can also use the Add and Remove arrow buttons to move fields back and forth.)

4. If you'd like to change the order of the dynamic filters, drag them up or down in the list box, or use the Up and Down arrow buttons.

5. When you're finished, click Save on the Page bar to save the report with your changes.

Specifying a default set of dynamic filters

If you're tired of setting dynamic filters for each report in your app, there's a way to specify a default set of dynamic filters by editing the default report settings for the table. These defaults take effect if the individual report's dynamic filters are set to Use the dynamic filters defined in default report settings.

To specify a default set of dynamic filters:

1. Click a table on the Table bar.

2. Click Settings on the Page bar.

3. Click Reports & charts.

4. Click Reporting defaults > Default report settings on the Page bar.

   The Default dynamic filters section lets you indicate what filters to show by default. You can choose to hide all dynamic filters (None), use the defaults implied by the selection and order of default columns (Set automatically), or specify which fields to show (Custom).

5. If you choose Custom, you can specify up to five default dynamic filters. The fields shown in the list box on the left are the fields that can be used as dynamic filters. The current set of default dynamic filters is shown in the list box on the right. Drag fields out of the Default dynamic filters list box to remove them; drag fields into the list box to add them as default dynamic filters. (You can also use the Add and Remove arrow buttons to move fields back and forth.)

6. If you'd like to change the order of the default dynamic filters, drag them up or down in the list box, or use the Up and Down arrow buttons.

7. When you're finished, click Save on the Page bar to save your changes.

Quickbase field types used for dynamic filters

The table below shows the field types that can be dynamic filters. Field types not mentioned in this table cannot be dynamic filters. Also, fields that have not been marked Searchable cannot be dynamic filters.

*Note: Address fields and all of their subfields are text fields and as such can be used as dynamic filters.

Why aren't my filters appearing?

Occasionally, none of the dynamic filters you've configured for a report appear when you view the report. How does Quickbase decide which filters to display?

If you're using the Use the dynamic filters defined in default report settings option for dynamic filters on that report, look at the first ten fields in your report. Do the fields used in default dynamic filters appear within the first ten fields in your report? If not, change the order of report columns so that your filter fields appear within the first ten columns of the report.

Other factors that will affect whether or not dynamic filters will appear:

• If a report contains no records, the dynamic filters will not appear.

• If a field has a value longer than 512 characters, dynamic filters for that field will be disabled and a message will appear to that effect.

• If a field has 60-200 values, some values will display, and the last item in the list will be an All Choices link, which opens a dialog with all the choices available for that field.

• If a field has over 200 values, it will display with a message that there are too many values to use for filtering. If all the filterable fields have too many values to display, you are directed to a search page so you can search for and display a subset of your data.

• Roles may also affect which filters are visible. Are you hearing complaints from someone you built a report for? Check that their role doesn't bar access to fields used in the dynamic filters. If so, those fields won't appear in the dynamic filter when that user views the report.

Related topics:

• Customizing a table Home page

• About the table Home page

• Setting reporting defaults