Producer Help - Filters

If you have a very large database, initial loading or refreshing the list of names can take some time. If the only reason to refresh the data is to retrieve the details of one person, you will probably consider it a nuisance to have to wait until the entire list of names has been loaded. Therefore, CardExchange® Producer offers you the possibility of filtering out the data you do not need at the database level. To do this, you have to access the Data tab.

CardExchange® Producer has three distinct filter levels. The first level is a filter that is defined by the administrator and that is always applied. Using this filter, the administrator can avoid that the user has access to certain records in the database. For example, if there is an employee table, this filter can be used to show only employees that are still in service and hide any historical information. It is very likely that the user is not even aware of the fact that a level-one filter is applied. However, it is useful to know that this filter type exists. It helps to understand, for example, why a certain record is visible in another application but not in CardExchange® Producer.

The second filter level consists of a series of named filters that the operator can activate or deactivate freely in order to limit the number of names shown in the Data Record View. The filters at this level are defined and named by the administrator. The filter names are shown as buttons in the Filters Tab of the Explorer Menu. By clicking on a filter button or menu option, the filter in question is activated while all other filters are deactivated. By clicking the button or menu option with the text (no filter) all filters are deactivated. The status bar shows which level-two filter is active. In the above screen shot, one level-two filter called "No photo" has been defined en is shown in the tool bar.

Level-two filters are meant to divide the records in the Data Record View into logical groups. With a single mouse click, the operator can limit the records shown in the Data Record View to a specified logical group.

For example, one could define a level-two filter for each school class (if the card has been coupled to a students database). Other possibilities are creating a level-two filter for each employee for whom there is no photo in the database, or all employees for whom more than one card has been printed. It is not possible to activate two level-two filters at the same time, but you can use levels one and two simultaneously. After all, a user can never deactivate the first level, not even by selecting the button (no filter).

Finally, there is also a third filter level. This level can be switch on or off by the administrator. When activated, the user himself can determine in what manner he wants to filter his data. Every time he requests information from the database (for example, by selecting Refresh data under the Data ribbon tab section Find), a window prompts for the desired filter conditions.