Report Criteria FAQ
The following sections provide answers to common questions about report criteria:
How do I create Report Criteria for a field that is not listed?
The Report Criteria window displays prompts for fields that you are likely to use in an expression for a specific report. While numerous prompts are available, you may want to filter a report by a field that is not listed.
The Custom Criteria feature allows you to add an expression for a field not listed in the window. The custom criteria are only in effect for the current run of the report; they cannot be saved for permanent use.
Contact Accruent Support if you need to make a permanent change to the prompts available in a report.
See the section on Custom Criteria for further instructions on defining a custom report criteria expression.
How do I enter a custom date range for Report Criteria?
If you want to create a report criteria expression that uses a date range that is not listed in the available field, you must change the value in the field that defines the relationship between the field value and the specified date or date range.
The first two options, is within and is not within, correspond to the predefined date ranges. To enter your own date (or date range), select any of the other options in the field.
The options for is, is after, is before, and is not provide a single prompt for you to enter a specific date. The options is between and is not between provide two prompts for you to specify both a begin and end date:
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To specify a single date (for expressions based on is, is not, is before, or is after), enter a single date.
The date can be entered as m/d/yy or mm/dd/yyyy. For example, Target Date is before 09/01/2008.
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To specify multiple dates (for expressions based on is between and is not between), enter two dates.
The dates can be entered as m/d/yy or mm/dd/yyyy. For example, Target Date is between 09/01/2008 and 09/15/2008.
For instructions on formatting report criteria for dates, see Defining Expressions for Date Fields.
How do I know which multiple values have been selected for Report Criteria?
When multiple values have been specified for a text field in the Report Criteria window, the field value simply indicates that multiple values have been specified.
To determine the values that have been specified, you should:
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Select the Display Criteria on Report check box in the Report Criteria window.
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Run the report by clicking the Apply button in the Report Criteria window.
The report displays in the Report Preview window. The Report Criteria display above the report content.
Why is there fixed criteria defined for the report?
In addition to standard Report Criteria, many reports in Maintenance Connection include fixed criteria that cannot be modified by end-users. This ensures that important criteria cannot be inadvertently altered during report modification. Fixed criteria also ensure that meaningful filters are placed on the data returned in a report.
If the report includes Fixed Criteria, the report will have a message explaining this at the top of the window. For example, if a report has fixed criteria ensuring that only open work orders are included in the report, the message would read, "This report has the following fixed criteria: WO.IsOpen=1".
Fixed criteria are defined on the Report Setup Advanced tab. Contact Accruent Support if you need to change the fixed criteria defined for a report.
Why do the options in the fields change when creating Report Criteria?
The fields displayed in the Report Criteria window include options that are appropriate for the type of field being evaluated.
For example, validated text fields include the following options:
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Is
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Is not
Whereas date fields include the following options:
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Is within
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Is not within
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Is
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Is between
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Is not between
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Is after
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Is before
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Is not
Similarly, the options available in the value fields change dependent on the type of field.
For complete information on the options available for each type of field, refer to the following sections:
Why are fields not always available to select values for Report Criteria?
Whether or not a predefined set of values is available to make selections depends on the type of field and the method you have chosen to indicate a value.
For example, all text fields that are validated by a lookup provide a list of fields from which to choose, as only those values can reside in the field. Similarly, text fields validated by a Module Lookup can only possess values stored in the module, so values must be selected from a list. In contrast, text fields that allow free-form entry allow you to enter a value, as any value can be specified in those fields.
For date fields, you can control whether or not a date range is available (or specific dates can be entered) by changing the selection that determines the relationship between the date field and the value. The first two options in the field provide you with date prompts. In contrast, the remaining options allow you to enter your own date (or date range).
For complete information on the options available for each type of field, refer to the following sections:
