Filters

Special purpose reports are generated in two steps. First the appropriate transactions are selected to be included. Then this information is presented in the desired form. The selection process is called filtering. The user enters the criteria, and the program selects transactions accordingly. If the report filters XE "filters:reports" on names, only transactions with the specified names will be picked up. Some windows within ReportFilters are obvious, and some merit careful explanation. The filtering function is widely flexible and capable. In other words, if you are going to master it, expect to work at it.

Clicking the Filters button brings up the ReportFilters window, and access to selecting which transactions will be included. The Customize Reports window also has a Filters button. Please click this button. The first illustration and narrative are for QuickBooks 5. The Filter window for QuickBooks 4 and earlier is described at the end of the filters section under EarlierVersions.

Choose Filter has a list of 32 bases for filtering transactions into reports. Clicking on one of them will bring it the name of this particular basis as the heading in the center area. In the example, the Choose Filters column shows a highlight on Customer Type, which is also the name in the center.

To the right of From Advertisement is a down-arrow indicating that a list of customer types can be dropped . The type selected was From Advertisement, so that type is a filtering criterion. Many of the bases, such as names, accounts, or classes have similar scroll-down lists. The first (and default) choice is usually All. The second will be in the style of Selected Accounts or Selected Names. Scrolling up and clicking on this, you can set up a selection list. Any transaction will be included if it contains any entity on the list.

Some bases run differently. For example, Amount will select transactions equal to, greater than, or less than some dollar value. You can include only paid invoices, or only unpaid.

The last basis in Choose Filter is Source, which was critical in earlier versions but has no apparent function in QuickBooks 5. The permanent selection is All accounts.

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Filtering works on a logical “and” basis. Transactions will be included only if they meet one filtering criterion and then the next, until they have met all of the filtering criteria.

Current Choices box lists the filter bases currently set up and criteria set up within those bases.

Account controls which accounts will appear in the report. Remember that QuickBooks is double entry accounting. Each original entry has one or more opposing entries. For both ends to be in the report, both must meet the filtering criteria.

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The P&L and Custom reports, and any other summarizing reports, have overall filtering so that only income and expense accounts are reported. (Transfers between balance sheet accounts cannot be reported.)

The view was set up to show the capabilities of the facility. The criteria shown actually proved to be such a fine sieve that the report was empty.