Selection criteria are the input fields you fill in to tell a report or batch task which records to include. The same selection mechanism is shared across the web app: a report uses it to limit the rows it fetches, and a batch task uses it to choose the records it acts on. Each criterion you enter becomes a parameter that is sent to the server when the report or task runs.
The same selection panel is used in three places:
| Reports |
When you open a report through the Report Runner, the Selections panel appears above the results. Fill in the criteria, then run the report. |
| Batch tasks |
Batch tasks (for example, posting or printing a batch of documents, or emailing statements) present the same Selections panel to choose the records the task processes. |
| Email tasks |
Email batch tasks lay the same selection fields out alongside the message composer, so the recipient criteria and the covering message are edited together. |
All selection criteria on a panel are combined with AND logic: a record must match every criterion you have filled in to be included. There is no OR option between criteria.
A criterion you leave blank is ignored — it places no restriction on the results. Only criteria that actually have a value are sent to the server. This means an empty panel returns everything the report or task can see; you narrow the results by filling in more fields.
Criteria come in two shapes:
The server decides which control each criterion uses. The following types are available.
| Text |
A free-text box. Records are matched on the text you type. |
| Number |
A numeric box. May restrict the number of decimal places and enforce a minimum and/or maximum value when the report or task defines them. |
| Yes / No (checkbox) |
A tick-box for a true/false criterion. When sent to the server the value is encoded as
|
| Date |
A single date picker. |
| Date Range |
A From and To date pair. Some date ranges are linked to a related Transaction Selection (see below): changing the date range can automatically adjust the linked period selection to match the periods that contain those dates, and vice versa. |
| Period |
A financial period picker. The list of periods is taken from the relevant module (the General Ledger by default, or another module when the criterion specifies one). May optionally include the Adjustment period. When you save a selection that uses a period, the app records the chosen period as an offset from the module's current period. If you re-open the saved selection in a later financial period, the period auto-advances by the same offset so the criterion stays relative to "now" rather than locked to an old period. |
| Period Range |
A From and To pair of period pickers. Like the single period, both ends store a relative offset so a saved range re-anchors to the current period when re-opened. |
| Transaction Selection |
A combined control for choosing a span of transactions by period. It has a mode dropdown plus a From and To period. The mode determines which period boxes are active:
A report or task may hide the All Periods and/or Range of Periods options. As with the Period control, the From/To periods store offsets so a saved Period or Range of Periods selection re-anchors to the current period when re-opened. |
| Code Lookup |
A type-ahead box validated against a code table (for example a customer or product code). Where the code domain has a search dialog registered, a search action is available to pick the code from a list. |
| Code Range |
A From and To pair of code-lookup boxes against the same code table, for selecting a range of codes. |
| Lookup |
A drop-down list of codes drawn from a lookup table. Selecting nothing leaves the criterion blank. |
| Lookup Range |
A From and To pair of lookup drop-downs against the same table. |
| Currency |
A currency-code picker. |
| Dropdown |
A drop-down list of fixed options defined by the report or task. You pick a single value. |
| Enum (status / type list) |
A drop-down of the valid values for a coded field (such as a transaction type or status). The list of values comes from the system's definition of that field. |
| Multi-select |
A list where you can tick several values at once. A record matches if its value is any of the ticked items. Leaving all items unticked makes the criterion blank. |
| Enum Multi-select |
A multi-select whose options are the valid values of a coded field, taken from the system definition. |
| Account Map |
A two-part control: an Account drop-down, plus a dependent field that changes with the account you choose. Depending on the account, the dependent field is either a code lookup against the relevant code table or a numeric identifier. Until you choose an account, the criterion is blank and nothing is sent for it. |
Once you have entered criteria, the active (non-blank) ones are shown as a row of chips above the grid. Each
chip summarises one criterion — for example a single value, a range shown as
Field: From - To, or a list shown as Field in ('A', 'B').
The full selection dialog provides a Reset button that returns the criteria to their defaults. Reset applies any default values the report or task defines; criteria without a default are cleared. Opening the selection dialog works on a local copy, so closing it with Cancel (rather than OK) leaves your previously saved criteria unchanged.