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NOTE: This feature is available in the Essential, Professional, and Enterprise versions of both Spectra and Stratus Desktop.

Creating a Filter #

1. Go to Tools > Design Tools > Filter Builder.

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2. Click New to create a new filter.

   

3. Type in a description
   of the new filter.

4. Select the type
   of filter you want to create. The filter type determines which fields can be included in the filter.
   For example, if you want to filter your data based on your client
   information and any groups they belong to, select the filter type
   “Clients with Groups.”

   

5. Click where indicated to add a new search field. Scroll through the list(s) and choose the field
   you want to filter on.
   Note: The fields you see
   are based on the type of filter you selected in step 4.

6. Next, click the “is equal to” portion of the line to choose the appropriate
   operator from the list. The
   operator defines how the field will be filtered.

   

7. Finally, click the last part of the line to set the value you want
   to use to filter the field. Depending on the field, you may choose from a drop-down list or simply type in a value.

   

   HERE’S A FLASH FOR YOU!

   When you filter based on a date field, there will be special options available. Just click on the last part of the line to see the following menu:

   
   

   Choose one of the following:
   

   • A Specific Date – Choose the date from the calendar or type it in.

   • Today’s Date – The software will automatically update the date to the current date whenever the filter is used.

   • Today’s Date Plus… – Choose this option and enter the number of days. For example, “today’s date plus 7” would be a week from the current date.
     

   • Today’s Date Minus… – Use this option to find records prior to the current date.

8. To create a filter with more than one condition,
   click the next line to
   add a new condition. Repeat steps 5-7 to define each additional condition. See also: Advanced Filters

9. If your filter contains multiple conditions, go back up to the first line and click “all” to specify
   the relationship between the
   conditions. Choose “all,” “any,” or “none.”

   

HERE’S A FLASH FOR YOU!

Here are some examples of conditions
you may create:

Client>City is
equal to Chicago (Includes
all clients in Chicago)

Client>Last Name starts with
M (Includes
all clients with last names starting with M)

Client>Email Address is not empty (Includes
all clients who have an email address)

Session>Date is
equal to 1/12/2014 (Includes
all sessions on January 12, 2014)

Session>Redo Session is equal to
Yes (Includes all sessions with a redo)

Invoice>Invoice Total is greater than
100 (Includes all invoices under $100)

10. To see how many records are in your filter,
    click Load Filter Results.

11. To choose how your records are sorted when the filter is applied,
    click the Sort tab. Choose one or more fields to sort by and whether they should be sorted in ascending or descending order.

12. Click OK
    to save your filter.

Note: To see more examples of filters
containing a variety of conditions, please refer to the Advanced Filters topic.

Deleting a Filter #

1. From the Tools
   menu, choose Filter Builder.

2. Click on the filter you want to delete.

3. Click Delete.

Modifying a Filter #

1. From the Tools
   menu, choose Filter Builder.

2. Double-click the filter you want to modify.

3. Make changes to the filter and click OK to save it.

Copying a Filter #

 Instead of creating each filter from scratch, copy an existing filter to quickly create a new filter that is similar to an existing one.

1. From the Tools
   menu, choose Filter Builder.

2. Select on filter you want to copy and click Copy on the ribbon.

3. A copy of the existing filter will open in the
   filter builder. Modify the filter as necessary (make sure you update the description) and then click OK to save the new filter.

Using Filters #

There are many ways to use filters throughout the software. You can filter the records
on a hub, generate lists, create reports, or create a group of communication
records (i.e., email, SMS text messages, phone calls, and letters).

Filter a Hub #

To filter a hub, go to the hub that
corresponds to the type of filter you created (i.e., if you created
a session filter, go to the Sessions
hub). On the ribbon, change the search criteria to Filter.
Choose your filter from the drop-down list and the filtered records
will be displayed.

Generate a List #

To generate a list of your filter results, go to
Reports > Lists and Labels
and choose the type of report that goes with the type of filter you
created. Then select your filter from the drop-down list under Criteria. Click Preview
Report to see the report, Print
Report to print it, or Export Report to export it. See also: Lists and Labels  

Create a Report #

To create a report using your filter, go to the
Reports menu and select the
report you want to create. Note:
Many of the reports on this menu include the option to select a filter.
Select Filter as the criteria
type and then choose your filter from the drop-down list. See Reports for more
information on creating reports from filters.

Create a Calls, Messages, or Letters #

To create a group of communication records, go
to Tools > Communication Wizard.
See Communication
Wizard for more information.