Creating a stand-alone filter

A filter specifies the conditions that the data must meet to be included in the report results. A filter must contain at least one qualification, which is the actual condition that must be met. Examples of qualifications are "Region = Northeast" and "Revenue > $1 million". For descriptions of the different types of qualifications, see Types of qualifications.

Stand-alone filters, created in the Filter Editor, can be added to reports, metrics, templates, and other filters. You can also create a filter within a report, while you are creating or editing the report. A filter created within a report can only be used in that particular report; it cannot be saved independently of the report and used in a different object. For a more in-depth description of filters, see About filters; for more information about filters created in reports, including examples and instructions, see About filtering data on-the-fly in a report.

To create a stand-alone filter

1. Open the Filter Editor. (How?)

2. Double-click in the Filter definition pane. The Filtering Options pane opens.

3. Create a qualification. The different types of qualifications are described below.

   • Add an Attribute qualification filters on an attribute form (such as ID or description) or on elements of the attribute. For further instructions, see Steps to create an attribute qualification.

   • Add a Set qualification allows you to build one of the following:

     • Metric qualification creates a set of attributes based on the metrics associated with those attributes. For further instructions, see About metric set qualifications.

     • Relationship qualification creates a set of attributes based on the relationships between the attributes. For further instructions, see About relationship set qualifications.

     • Add a Shortcut to a Report uses an existing report as a filter in another report. For further instructions, see Creating a shortcut-to-a-filter qualification.

     • Add a Shortcut to a Filter uses an existing filter as a base to add more conditions to further refine the filter. For further instructions, see Creating a shortcut-to-a-filter qualification.

   • Add an Advanced qualification allows you to build one of the following:

     • Custom expression allows you to create custom expressions and filter on the result. For further instructions, see Steps to create a custom expression qualification.

     • Joint element list allows you to choose attribute elements from different attributes to filter the report result set. For further instructions, see Steps to create a joint element list qualification.

       By default, the Advanced Qualification option is not shown. For steps to enable this option, see Steps to activate the advanced qualification option.

   For a comparison of the different types of qualifications, see Types of qualifications.

4. To add more qualifications to the filter, repeat steps 2 and 3.

If you have multiple qualifications, you can change the operator between them. To do this, right-click the operator in the Filter definition pane, point to Toggle operator, then select the new operator from the list. For a list of the operators, with links to descriptions and examples of each, see Operators for multiple qualifications.

Save the filter

1. When you have added all the necessary qualifications, click Save and Close on the toolbar. The Save Filter As dialog box opens.

2. Select the folder in which to save the new filter.

3. Enter the name of the new filter and click Save. You are returned to MicroStrategy Developer.

When naming a MicroStrategy object, you must follow the naming convention rules for your particular database platform. Using a word that is reserved by your database platform may result in an error. Refer to your database documentation for a list of these database-reserved words.