Filters

This article covers:

• Global filters
• User group filters
• Shared filters
• User defined filters
• Deleting filters and filter items

PPO allows PPO administrators to limit users in terms of functionality by means of the user groups and to limit users in terms of data by means of filters.

This article deals exclusively with the maintenance of user access to data (filters). Please see the following knowledge base article for information on maintaining functionality (user groups).

PPO allows for four types of filters to be applied: global filters; user group filters; shared filters and user defined filters.

1. Global filters

Global filters are created by the administrator and are designed to increase ease of use. These are commonly used to filter out completed or archived items, such as Tasks where the actual progress is 100 percent, Issues that are closed, Risks that are resolved or Projects that are completed.

Each entity (including Projects and Employees) within PPO can have a global filter and when it has been applied, a bright red icon will appear on the applicable list page.

If the user has access to disable global filters (see the following knowledge base article for more information on user group access), the user will be able to click on the bright red icon in order to disable the global filter. The page will refresh, showing all items, including the filtered out items and the global filter icon will grey out, indicating that the global filter has been disabled.

For the PPO administrator to be able to create and maintain global filters, they must have access to the Administration menu item and the Filters icon.

To create a global filter click on the Filters icon. The Filters >> Edit page will open, showing the option "All User Groups" at the top of the page and a filter line for each entity.

Click on the Add Filter icon (funnel with green plus) next to the entity on which the filter must be created.

The Filter >> Add page will open.

Specify a name, filter items and an evaluation expression for the filter. For more information on creating filters, see this knowledge base article. 

Note: there is a limit to the length of an evaluation expression.

After the filter has been specified, click on Submit Filter.

The newly added filter will appear on the Filters >> Edit page.

Only one global filter can be applied per entity however every filter can have multiple filter items which allows for fairly complex filters. It is always recommended to start simple with filters and then to increase in complexity when it is clear what is required. 

2. User group filters

For each user group, specific entity filters (e.g. Projects, Issues, Documents) can be set-up to allow users access to only certain data (e.g. only projects that belong to the financial programme and only documents where status is final or approved). This allows the PPO administrators to maintain the security across PPO, ensuring users have access only to the relevant items.

For the PPO Administrator to maintain user group filters, they need to have access to the Administration menu item and the Filters icon. To set up a user group filter, click on the Filters icon. The Filters >> Edit page will open, showing the option "All User Groups" at the top of the page and a filter line for each entity. This is the global filters page, discussed previously in this article.

To create a user group filter select the user group for which you would like to specify a filter from the User Group drop down list at the top of the page.

Then click on the Add Filter icon (funnel with a green plus) next to the entity for which the filter has to be created.

An example of a project entity filter would be to allow the user group to only see projects where the programme is "Learning & Growth".

For more information on creating filters, see this knowledge base article.

Once the filter has been created click on the Submit Filter icon to save the filter. 

3. Shared filters

Shared filters are set up by the PPO Administrator and can be used by all users on PPO. These filters can be used on the Home Page, list pages and on reports and dashboards.

For the PPO Administrator to be able to publish and maintain shared filters, they have to have access to the Administration menu item and the Filters icon. To create a shared filter, click on the Filters icon. The Filters >> Edit page will open, showing the option "All User Groups" at the top of the page and a filter line for each entity. This is the global filters page, discussed previously in this article.

Click on the Add Filter icon next to the entity for which  you want to create the filter. Create the filter as required and click on Submit Filter. For more information on creating filters, see this knowledge base article.

The administrator has the option to share the filter or to keep it hidden. To share the filter with all users on the instance, the "Is Shared?" field should be selected as True.

If the "Is Shared?" field is selected as True, the filter will be published as a shared filter and will be available to all users on PPO. All shared filters for the entity will appear in the drop-down list on the Filters >> Edit page.

The last step is to ensure that the correct global filter is active (selected) on the Filters >> Edit page. When you publish your shared filter, the system will select the newly added shared filter as the active global filter, which is not necessarily desired. Select the correct global filter and click on the Submit icon.

4. User defined filters

Users also have the ability to create their own filters. This allows the user to create any desired view on their Home Page, List pages, Reports and Dashboards.

The Add Filter icon (funnel with a green plus) will appear on fields where a user defined filter can be set up.

To create a filter click on the Add Filter icon and specify the filter as required. For more information on creating filters see this knowledge base article. 

Deleting filters and filter items

Global filters, user group filters and shared filters can only be deleted from under the Administration menu item, while user defined filters can be deleted by the user from anywhere within PPO. For detailed information on how to delete filters, please see the following knowledge base article.