Types of filters

Select a filter type from this list, and then specify the information that is required for the type of filter you are creating.

Filter types include the following:

Filter Type	Filter Name	What Data It Is Designed To Filter
Attribute qualifications These types of qualifications restrict data related to attributes on the report.	Attribute form qualification Create a filter based on attribute forms. For details, see click here.	Filters data related to a business attribute's form(s), such as ID or description. For example, the attribute Customer has the forms ID, First Name, Last Name, Address, and Birth Date. An attribute form qualification might filter on the form Last Name, the operator Begins With, and the letter H. The results show a list of customers whose last names start with the letter H.
Attribute element list qualification Create a filter based on attribute elements. For details, see click here.	Filters data related to a business attribute's elements, such as New York, Washington, and San Francisco, which are elements of the attribute City. For example, the attribute Customer has the elements John Smith, Jane Doe, William Hill, and so on. An attribute element list qualification can filter data to display only those customers specified in the qualification by selecting the In List option or all the customers excluding those specified in the qualification by selecting the Not In List option.
Set qualifications These types of qualifications restrict data based on the value, rank, or percentage of a metric, or based on the relationships between the attributes on the report.	Metric set qualification Create a filter based on metric value or rank. For details, see click here.	Filters data related to a set of attributes that are determined based on the metrics associated with those attributes. For example, a metric set qualification might filter data to display sales data for only those products with an inventory count below a specified number.
Relationship set qualification Create a filter based on relationships between attributes. For details, see click here.	Filters data based on a specific relationship between two attributes. For example, a relationship set qualification might filter data to display those stores selling Nike shoes in the Washington, DC area.
Shortcut qualifications These types of qualifications restrict data related to existing report results or an existing filter.	Shortcut-to-a-report qualification Create a filter based on the results of an existing report. For details, see click here.	Uses the result set of an existing report as is, or with additional conditions, as a filter in a different report. For example, you might use a shortcut-to-a-report qualification by taking the result set of one report showing all customers in the Southwest region, placing that result set as a filter into a new report, adding a new filter qualification for active customers in the current year, and displaying all currently active customers in the Southwest region.
Shortcut-to-a-filter qualification Create a filter based on an existing filter. For details, see click here.	Uses an existing filter as is, or with additional conditions, in a report. For example, you might use a shortcut-to-a-filter qualification by taking an existing filter for Region = Northeast and Year = 2006, placing it in a report, and adding a new filter qualification for Month of Year = December.

Filter Type

Filter Name

What Data It Is Designed To Filter

Attribute qualifications

These types of qualifications restrict data related to attributes on the report.

Attribute form qualification

Create a filter based on attribute forms.

For details, see click here.

Filters data related to a business attribute's form(s), such as ID or description.

For example, the attribute Customer has the forms ID, First Name, Last Name, Address, and Birth Date. An attribute form qualification might filter on the form Last Name, the operator Begins With, and the letter H. The results show a list of customers whose last names start with the letter H.

Attribute element list qualification

Create a filter based on attribute elements.

For details, see click here.

Filters data related to a business attribute's elements, such as New York, Washington, and San Francisco, which are elements of the attribute City.

For example, the attribute Customer has the elements John Smith, Jane Doe, William Hill, and so on. An attribute element list qualification can filter data to display only those customers specified in the qualification by selecting the In List option or all the customers excluding those specified in the qualification by selecting the Not In List option.

Set qualifications

These types of qualifications restrict data based on the value, rank, or percentage of a metric, or based on the relationships between the attributes on the report.

Metric set qualification

Create a filter based on metric value or rank.

For details, see click here.

Filters data related to a set of attributes that are determined based on the metrics associated with those attributes.

For example, a metric set qualification might filter data to display sales data for only those products with an inventory count below a specified number.

Relationship set qualification

Create a filter based on relationships between attributes.

For details, see click here.

Filters data based on a specific relationship between two attributes.

For example, a relationship set qualification might filter data to display those stores selling Nike shoes in the Washington, DC area.

Shortcut qualifications

These types of qualifications restrict data related to existing report results or an existing filter.

Shortcut-to-a-report qualification

Create a filter based on the results of an existing report.

For details, see click here.

Uses the result set of an existing report as is, or with additional conditions, as a filter in a different report.

For example, you might use a shortcut-to-a-report qualification by taking the result set of one report showing all customers in the Southwest region, placing that result set as a filter into a new report, adding a new filter qualification for active customers in the current year, and displaying all currently active customers in the Southwest region.

Shortcut-to-a-filter qualification

Create a filter based on an existing filter.

For details, see click here.

Uses an existing filter as is, or with additional conditions, in a report.

For example, you might use a shortcut-to-a-filter qualification by taking an existing filter for Region = Northeast and Year = 2006, placing it in a report, and adding a new filter qualification for Month of Year = December.

You can also create advanced qualifications such as attribute-to-attribute qualifications and prompted filters. For more information on all types of advanced filters, refer to the Advanced Filters chapter of the Advanced Reporting Help.

Stand-alone filter vs. filter as part of report

This chapter primarily describes how to create stand-alone filters. A stand-alone filter is a filter created as an independent MicroStrategy object. The stand-alone filter can then be used on many different reports, as well as on metrics and other objects. However, in MicroStrategy, filters can also be created as part of a given report, at the same time the report itself is being created. These kinds of filters are generically called report filters. Report filters are saved with the report's definition. Therefore, a report filter cannot be used on any other report.

However, a report filter can use any of the qualification types described in this chapter. Both stand-alone filters and report filters accomplish the same results: the filter's qualifications determine the data to use when calculating the data displayed in a report.

For an example of a report filter and steps to create one during the report creation process, see the procedure in Creating a report for analysis.