How Do I Add a Filter to Business Central?

Adding a filter in Business Central is a straightforward process that allows you to narrow down the information displayed on pages, reports, or XMLports. To add a filter, you typically choose the + Filter action.

Filtering is an essential tool for efficiently working with data in Business Central, helping you quickly find specific records or analyze subsets of information.

Steps to Add a Filter

Follow these steps to add a filter to a list page or data view in Business Central:

1. Navigate to the list, report request page, or XMLport request page where you want to apply a filter.
2. Look for the + Filter action. This is the primary way to initiate the filtering process.
3. Choose the + Filter action. This action opens up the options for adding a filter.
4. Next, you need to specify the field you want to filter by. You can:
   • Type the name of the field directly into the filter box.
   • Alternatively, pick a field from the drop-down list that appears as you type or click in the filter box. Business Central provides suggestions for available fields.
5. Once the field is selected, enter the criteria you want to filter by (e.g., a specific item number, a date range, a customer name).

Reference Note: As stated in the provided reference, "To add a filter, choose the + Filter action. Then, type the name of the field that you want to filter by, or pick a field from the drop-down list."

Applying Multiple Filters

You can typically add multiple filters to refine your results further. After adding the first filter, look for the option to add another line or group of filters.

Filtering Totals in Reports/XMLports

When working with reports or XMLports, there's often a specific section for filtering data that impacts calculated totals.

• In the Filter totals by section, you can adjust various dimensions that influence calculations. This is particularly useful for analyzing financial data or other calculated values based on specific criteria like dimensions (e.g., Department, Project).

Reference Note: The reference mentions that "In the Filter totals by section, you can adjust various dimensions that influence calculations in the report or XMLport."

Understanding Filter Criteria

Business Central supports various filter criteria, including:

• Specific values (e.g., 1000, 'London')
• Ranges (e.g., 1..10, >100, <01/01/2024)
• Lists of values (e.g., 1000|2000|3000)
• Wildcards (* for any characters, ? for a single character)
• Filter tokens (e.g., %MYCUSTOMER)

Learning how to use different filter criteria can significantly enhance your ability to extract specific data.

Applying filters helps you focus on the information that matters most, improving efficiency and data analysis within Business Central.