Query Designer

Overview:

The Query Designer allows you to create a custom query to extract a list data from HelpSTAR based on custom filter criteria that you set.

1. Ribbon Toolbar:

Properties:

Name: This section allows you to enter/view the name of the query.

Public/Private: Define if the query you have created will be viewable to other users.

Actions:

Refresh Results: Refresh contents of the query results.

Save: Save the current query that you are working on.

Save As: Save query as a different name, while maintaining the query of the original name.

Print Results: Print contents of the query results.

Export Results to MS Excel: Open the results, after running your query, in excel.
Export as displayed: export data as the text data as it appears in HelpSTAR (associated with service statistics such as time worked)
Export as raw data: export data as a numerical value so that it can be manipulated in Excel.

Column Order:

Move Down: Move a line item in the "Query fields and conditions” section down one line.

Move Up: Move a line item in the "Query fields and conditions” section up one line.

Note: The order that items are listed in the "Query fields and conditions” section is the same order that query results will be displayed.

Preview Pane:

This section allows you to select how you would like to view the Query List (grid) and the Query Detail. You can select from the following:

Below: View Query Detail below the Query List.

Right: View the Query Detail in a panel to the right hand side of the Query List.

Grid Only: View only the Query List.

Recent Updates First: View most recent updates of the request in the preview pane.

Chronological Order: View updates to a request in the order in which they were inserted.

Display:

Transaction Type: This section allows you to select the information you would like to view in the Date Logged Detail section. For example, to view only Reminders sent from this request, select Reminders using the drop-down menu.

Properties: This section allows you to select which information you would like to view in the Request Properties section.

2. Request Field Selection:

This section allows you to select database fields which you would like to define criteria to filter information.

i.e.

To query requests by a certain status, you would check the "Status" option. Then, in the "Query Fields and Conditions" section, you would further specify which status you would like to query on.

3. Design and Preview:

Design Query Tab:

This section displays the database fields you selected in the "Tree-view of Database Fields" section, and allows you to select the following options:

Caption: Change the caption of the field. This will only reflect on your Query Results, not in the entire application.

i.e.

If you changed Status to "State", it would only be reflected in the "Query Results" title bar.

Show Field: Define whether you would like this field to be displayed in your query results. By selecting no, the criteria for the query is set but this field will not appear in the result set.

Sort By: You can define how this field should be sorted.

Ascending: 0 - 9 order

Descending: 9 - 0 order

None: You would like to have no sort set; results will be displayed in no specific order.

Sort Order: If you have selected more than one item to "Sort By", then this section allows you to define which sections to sort first by assigning it a number. The number range will be based on how many items have Ascending or Descending set for "Sort By".

i.e.

First sort by Time Logged, then sort by Status.

Ask Criteria on Execution: This section allows you to define whether you should be prompted for criteria each time you run this query.

Yes: Each time this query is run, you will be prompted to define criteria for the section which you selected ”Ask Criteria on Execution - Yes”.

No: You will receive no prompt asking for criteria. Any criteria set (if any) will remain.

Selection: This section allows you to specifically define what you are looking for. If you selected Status from the "Tree-view of Database Fields", then this is the section for you to specify your criteria.

i.e.

Status is not equal to Closed

Status is equal to In Service

Preview Tab:

Select this tab to view a listing of all requests that meet the conditions you set. This will help you see if you have set up your query correctly. This section contains 2 distinct work areas:

Query Results List: This section displays the result set based on the filters you set in your queues. You can export this information to excel by selecting the "Export Results To MS Excel" button in the toolbar.

Query Results Detail: This section allows you to preview the request details for the item selected in the "Query Results" section. From here you can update the request, delete it, send an email to the requester, set a follow up to yourself or another support rep, etc.

This section contains two tabs:

Transaction Tab: Here you will find a listing of the memos for the request showing all of the activity for that request.

Properties Tab: This section shows you all the general information about the request.

An example of a query that you can create

If you would like to see all requests (Service and Purchase Requests) that are currently active and were created from a user in your Tech Support Organizational Unit, you would select the following in the Tree-view of Database Fields:

In the "Query fields and conditions" section, for status, select the following criteria:

AND/OR Operators:

Note: The selection Type is set to "OR" rather than "AND". This is because the request cannot be In Dispatch, AND In Queue, AND In Service. The request can only be in one of these states. If you were to select the "AND" operator in this example, your query would contain no results. It is not possible for a request to meet that criteria.

The way this query is set up so far, your result set will only display the Organizational Unit Name of the Requester, and the state the request is in (shown below).

If you wanted to view more information in the output from your query, you could select further options (shown below), and set no criteria for them.

In this case, we have added in Ref#, and Title (shown below).

See Also: