Using the Filter Wizard in SharpeSoft Estimator

Key windows and tables throughout the system, especially those that contain long lists of entries (e.g. Jobs, Vendors, Owners and Item Masters) can be filtered to make it easier to find what you are looking for.

When in an applicable window, clicking the Filter button in the toolbar opens the Filter Wizard, which is used to narrow down the records you are viewing in the main window based on the delimiters you select.

The Filter Wizard possesses many different fields which it uses to filter through the selected table, as well as query operations which can help further narrow the scope of filtration. The available fields by which the wizard filters depends on what table you are viewing, while the query operations remain constant throughout.

For example, the image below contains available filter fields for the Jobs table, Materials table, and Item Masters table, in that order.

The image below constitutes the available query operations, which are the same for all listed tables.

Practical Tips

After you use the Filter Wizard the results of that search will remain displayed in the window until you clear the filter. As an example, if you filtered the Jobs window for records with the word 'sewer' in the description, that is all that will appear in the window until you go back and reset the wizard. To remove the filter, simply click on the Filter toolbar button. When the Filter Wizard opens, click Next in each of the three windows. In the final window, click Delete, and then Finish. The filter will be turned off and all your jobs will once again be displayed in the window.

Also keep in mind that for certain tables, such as the Item Masters table, the Filter Wizard is unable to filter for items that are not currently displayed. For example, if you are aware that an Item Master contains a sub-item called “John Deere excavator,” then you must make sure the sub-item is visible somewhere in the table. This can be done by selecting Options from the menu bar, and then selecting Set Tree Depth. A tree depth of 3 or higher is recommended when filtering for specific items.

The Filter Wizard can also be used to clean up messy tables, especially if they contain items you definitely know no longer see any use. Say for example a vendor deal fell through with those very same John Deere excavators that we just filtered for. We can delete all of these items at once, despite being scattered throughout the job, by opening the Filter Wizard inside the Equipment table with the Equipment Description set to "John Deere." Once that's done, we can select whatever needs to be deleted by highlighting multiple items with Shift-click, then hitting Delete.

Exporting Filtered Information

The Filter Wizard offers more uses than just simplifying the view of table information, we can also make practical use of it by exporting filtered table information to Excel.

How to:

For this example, we are using the Filter Wizard inside the Materials table, with the end goal of exporting all items that "contain" the sequence "ACE" in the Material Code column.

• In the Materials table, click on the Filter Wizard on the toolbar.

• Inside the Wizard, select Material Code. Hit Next.

• For the filter operation, select Contains. This will produce all information wherein the entered data can be found, even if it's inside a larger sequence. This is especially useful when searching for codes that are similar without being exact. A further example may be that you have organized your codes for aggregate items to all contain the sequence AGG, though they may belong to different sub-groups.

• After entering all of the filter information in the wizard, select Finish. The table will now reflect our filter decisions and is ready for exporting.

• Now simply right-click in the table and select Export to Excel.

• NOTE: For users on the cloud, remember to send the exported document from the cloud server to your PC environment. Refer to the Cloud Toolbar blog here.

Conclusion

Getting started with SharpeSoft is a breeze. Whether you are looking to create a new job or add one, SharpeSoft has got your back. We have the tools and expertise necessary to help you make it happen without breaking a sweat.

You can continue on to other helpful Fast Trax articles found in the Blog section. To learn more about this particular subject, consult your system Help manual, or just give us a call and we’ll be glad to walk you through it.