How can I use the various field types and options to best build my subset criteria?
After you have selected the fields that you would like to subset on, you must specify values for those fields. For example, if you decide to subset counseling session records based on the topic of counseling that was provided, you need to specify which counseling topic(s) you want to restrict to. Or, if you want to subset counseling session records based on a word or phrase entered into the session's notes, you need to specify the word or phrase you're searching for. Both of these are easy enough to do, but because counseling session topic is specified using a drop-down field in a counseling session record and notes are entered into a free-form text field, the values for these two subset criteria are designated very differently.
The following four sections highlight the various options you are presented with when configuring values for your chosen subset criteria.
Check Box Selections
When fields with drop-down menus are included in your subset, WebCATS presents the various values as check box selections. For example, when subsetting milestone records based on the Milestone Type field, all milestone types are presented as individual check boxes, as shown in the next graphic.
When you are presented with multiple check boxes for a field, you can select as many as you wish. Selecting multiple check boxes creates an "or" statement. For example, if you were to select "Business Expansion" and "Business Closed," WebCATS would return milestone records of either type.
Date Range Fields
When date fields are included in your subset, WebCATS presents a set of date range fields. You can use these fields to specify a fixed date range with a definitive start and end date, as shown in the next graphic. Or, you can specify an open-ended date range (i.e. consider all records in the system entered before or after a particular date) by clearing either the start or end date.
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Date range fields are always accompanied by the Select non-matching records? option. When selected, this option indicates that the subset should return records that fall outside of the specified date range. In other words, this option excludes records that fall within the date range you provide.
Free-Form Text Fields
When free-form text fields such as city or ZIP Code are included in your subset, you'll also use free-form text to establish subset criteria for those fields. You can use wildcards and "or" statements when entering text to match on, as discussed in the next two sections.
As with date range fields, free-form text fields are always accompanied by the Select non-matching records? option. When selected, this option indicates that the subset should return records that don't contain the keyword you're searching for.
Wildcards
WebCATS supports two wildcards: the asterisk (*) and the question mark (?). The asterisk substitutes for an unlimited number of characters. For example, if you are searching for records with ZIP Codes that begin with "93", you can enter "93*" into the ZIP Code subset field. This would return contacts with ZIP Codes of 93101, 93010, 93030, and so on.
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The question mark substitutes for a single character. For example, if you are searching by a contact's first name, but can't remember if it's spelled "Lisa" or "Liza," you can enter "Li?a" into the subset field. This would return contacts with first names of Lisa or Liza.
Note: If you don't use wildcards at the beginning and end of your keyword, then the field must contain that keyword and that keyword ONLY to match. For example, if you search on "Santa" in a city name field, companies or contacts in Santa Barbara will not be returned. However, if you search on "Santa*", then companies or contacts in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Santa Cruz, and so on will be returned. When searching fields with paragraphs of text such as comment, note, or product/service description fields, it is especially important to keep this in mind because a word or phrase located in the middle of a sentence will not match unless you have surrounded your keyword search with asterisks.
"Or" Statements
You can place commas (,) between your keywords to create an "or" statement for that particular subset text field. For example, as shown in the next graphic, you could enter something like "*step*,*stair*" as the text field criteria. This would return all client records with either or both of these words in their product/service description fields.
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Yes/No Check Boxes
When yes/no check box fields such as a conference record's Is SBA888? or Sponsored by Center? field are included in your subset, you'll also use that same check box format to establish subset criteria for those fields, as shown in the next graphic.
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For more information on subsets, view our other popular resources on this topic: