Skip to main content

Filtering in Custom Reports

Josie avatar
Written by Josie
Updated over 11 months ago

🔒 Custom Reporting is available on our Premium package and can be used by any staff members with access to the Reports tab

What are Custom Reports?

Custom reports in Famly introduce a new way of working with your data, allowing you to have greater control over what you're reporting and improved access to fine-tuning your view until you get it just right.

All Custom reports are table-based where each column showcases the data type you’re working with. This is super helpful, as the type of data in the columns determines what kind of filtering conditions you can apply. We’ll get to filtering conditions in just a bit, but first - let’s take a look at the data types available in Custom reports.

What Data Types are Included in Custom Reports?

  • Text — This refers to data that consists of words or phrases, like names or descriptions

    • Text-based data uses this icon:

  • Date — This is used for dates like birthdays, start or end dates, or events happening at your center

    • Date-based data will always use this icon:

  • Numeric — Holds numbers, like prices or deposit amounts.

    • Numeric data will use this icon:

  • Formula — This data type refers to calculated values based on other data, like totals or averages. For example, a child’s age in months is a formula since the age in months is calculated from the child’s birthday records.

    • Formulas are always preceded by this icon:

  • Bucket — Groups data into set categories, like age ranges

    • Data buckets are marked with this icon:

Filtering Conditions in Custom Reports

Each data type mentioned above can be filtered using a series of conditions. These conditions include:

Filtering text data

When handling text, such as a child’s first name, addresses, child notes, etc., you can use a series of filtering conditions to narrow down the extent of the report.

Let’s use Child first name as an example:

  • Equals: Selecting this option will get you the exact record in the report that precisely matches the text you search for

    • Here’s an example: If you select Equals and then type "George Albright" and then apply the filter, the report will only show you the children whose names exactly match "George Albright"

  • Does not equal: As opposed to the previous case, this will show you all data excluding the text you searched for

    • Using the "George Albright" example, once the filter is applied, you would see everyone except "George Albright" in the report

  • Starts with: Filters the data where the text starts with the specified characters

    • Let’s say you cannot completely remember a child’s name, but you remember the first part of it, so you type in "Char". Once you apply the filter, the report will only show you all the children whose name starts with "Char"

    • So your report will show "Charlotte", "Charlie" or "Charlene", for example

  • Does not start with: Selecting this option will show data where the text does not start with the specified characters

    • So if, as with the case before, you could type "Char", this filter condition would remove all names starting with "Char" from the report

  • Contains: Displays data that includes specified characters anywhere in the text

    • When using this, filtering by “ie”, for example, would mean the report would show all the names in the report containing that letter sequence anywhere in the words, whether it’s "Annie", "Julie", or "Adrien"

  • Does not contain: Excludes data that contain the specified characters anywhere in the text

    • Using the same example as above, using this filtering option would result in only showing the names that don’t contain this sequence

  • Ends with: Filters data where the text ends with the specified characters

    • If you don't remember the first part of a name, but you can remember the last few letters, you can enter "ith" to find "Meredith" or "Judith", for example

  • Does not end with: Excludes data where the text ends with the specified characters

    • If you want to filter out names ending in a certain series of letters, you can easily filter them out of the report by using the “Does not end with” option

💡 If you are switching from a positive condition, e.g. Contains and want to switch to its negative counterpart Does not contain, remember to remove the positive condition first

Filtering date-based data

If you'd like to filter your report based on dates, you can do that as well. Let’s use Start date as the example here. Here’s how each date-based condition would work in that context:

  • Equals: This will show only the children who started on the exact date you enter

    • For example, if you select Equals and type in "01/09/2024", you’ll only see the children who started on September 1, 2024. Great if you’re looking to check in on the kids who began on a particular day!

  • Does not equal: This will show everyone except those who started on the date you specify.

    • So, if you pick Does not equal and enter "15/07/2024", you’ll see all the children who started on any day other than July 15, 2024. Handy if you want to exclude that group from a particular report

  • Before: This shows all the children who started before a certain date

    • For instance, if you select Before and enter "01/01/2024", you’ll see only the children who started before January 1, 2024. Perfect if you’re looking for children that have been enrolled for a longer while

  • After: This will display all the children who started after the date you enter

    • For example, if you enter "01/01/2024" and filter for After, your report will show all the children who joined after January 1, 2024. This is useful for finding the more recent joiners

  • Before or on: This filter shows all the children who started on or before the specified date

    • Let’s say you enter "05/04/2024" and filter for Before or on —you’ll see all the children who started on April 5, 2024, or any time before. It’s a helpful way to find everyone enrolled at your center up to a certain point

  • After or on: This option will show all the children who started on or after the date you enter

    • For example, if you enter "10/01/2024" and filter for After or on, you’ll see everyone who joined on or after January 10, 2024. Great if you’re focusing on newer children who joined recently

  • Between: This lets you set a range of dates to find all the children who started within that period, including the start and end dates

    • For instance, if you choose Between and enter "01/01/2024" and "30/06/2024", you’ll see all the children who started between January and June 2024. Ideal for checking on children who joined within a specific time frame, like a particular term or year

  • Is Null: This condition shows all records where the Start date field is empty or hasn’t been filled in

    • For example, if you select Is Null for the "Start date", you’ll see any children who don’t yet have a start date recorded. This is useful for spotting incomplete records or tracking down missing information

  • Is Not Null: This condition displays only records where the Start date field has a value.

    • If you select “Is Not Null” for the Start date, you’ll see all children who do have a start date listed. This is helpful if you want to focus only on the kids who have already started and filter out any incomplete or pending records

Filtering numeric data

You can also use Custom reports to filter and organise numeric data such as deposit amounts made by children's bill payers. Here's how the filter conditions can help you show numeric data:

  • Equals: Shows only the records where the deposit amount matches exactly what you enter

    • If you choose Equals and type "100", you’ll only see the records with a deposit amount of exactly ÂŁ100

  • Does not equal: Shows all records except those where the deposit amount matches the specified amount

    • If you pick Does not equal and type "50", you’ll see all records where the deposit amount is not 50

  • Greater than: Shows all records where the deposit amount is higher than the specified amount

    • Entering "200" and filtering for Greater than will display all records where the deposit amount is over 200, helping you focus on larger deposits

  • Less than: Shows only the records where the deposit amount is lower than what you type in

    • If you type in "150" and filter for Less than, you’ll see all records where the deposit amount is under 150

  • Greater than or equal to: Shows all records where the deposit amount is equal to or greater than the amount you specify

    • If you filter for Greater than or equal to and enter "100" your report will include all records with a deposit amount of ÂŁ100 or more

  • Less than or equal to: Shows all records where the deposit amount is equal to or less than the specified amount.

    • Filtering for Less than or equal to and typing "75" will display records where the deposit amount is 75 or less

  • Between: With this filter, you can set a range to show all records within that deposit range, including both the minimum and maximum values

    • If you filter for Between and enter "50" and "200", you’ll see records with deposit amounts between 50 and 200, which is useful for finding mid-range deposits

  • Is Null: Shows all records where the deposit amount field is empty or hasn’t been filled in

    • If you filter for Is Null and choose "Deposit amount", you’ll see any records where the deposit amount hasn’t been entered, helping you identify missing deposit information

  • Is Not Null: Shows only records where a deposit amount has been entered

    • If you filter Is Not Null and choose Deposit amount, you’ll see all records where a deposit amount is listed. This is useful if you want to exclude any records with missing deposit data

Filtering conditions for data buckets

With Custom reports, you can also add filtering conditions for data buckets. We'll go over bucket filtering conditions using Age Ranges as our example now. Imagine you’ve grouped children into age ranges like:

  • 0-12 Months

  • 13-24 Months

  • 25-36 Months

  • 37+ Months

Here’s how each filtering condition would work for these age ranges:

  • Equals: This condition will show only data that fall within the specific age range(s) you choose

    • Say you choose Equals and select "13-24 Months". This will display only the children who are in the 13 to 24 month age range. This is perfect if you’re planning an activity specifically designed for toddlers, like early language learning

  • Does not equal: This will show all records except those that fall within the specified age range.

    • Selecting Does not equal and choosing "0-12 Months" will show you all children who are older than 12 months (13-24, 25-36, and 37+ Months). This might be useful if you’re organising a physical activity for older children that may not be suitable for infants

  • Is Null: This condition shows records that haven’t been assigned an age range bucket, possibly due to missing or incomplete age data

    • If you select Is Null for “Age range”, the report will display any children who don’t have an assigned age range, possibly due to missing age information. This condition is useful for identifying incomplete records, allowing you to follow up and fill in any missing date of birth details

  • Is Not Null: This condition shows only records that have been assigned an age range.

    • If you choose Is Not Null for "Age Ranges in Months", you’ll see all children who have been categorised into one of the age ranges (0-12, 13-24, 25-36, or 37+ Months). This helps you exclude records with missing age data, so you’re only looking at records that have been fully categorised

Filtering for formulas

  • What’s unique about formula conditions is that the available filtering options depend on the format or data type of the formula’s result, so whether it’s a numeric data result, a text result or a date-based result

    • For example, if a formula produces a numeric result, such as for a “Total payment due” column, you will be able to filter based on the same conditions as for numeric data

    • If the formula produces a date-based result, such as “Last day of attendance”, the filtering conditions would be those of a date filter

Helpful Hints for Custom Reporting

1. It’s easy to get lost in filters, so it helps to preview what you’ve selected and clear it if needed

  • to do this, hold your mouse over the filter button in the top-right corner of the table

    • a panel will show all the filters affecting the table

    • in the Panel filters, click on the three dots option to either Edit or Remove each filter

2. When you apply filters to different columns, all the conditions need to be true for a result to show up

  • This means it’s an “AND” situation.

    • For example, if you filter by Age = 3 and Start Date after Jan 1, 2023, you’ll only see children who are 3 years old and started after January 1, 2023

3. When you apply multiple filters to the same column, only one of the conditions needs to be true for a result to show up

  • This is an “OR” situation.

    • For example, if you set Age = 3 or Age = 4 in the same column, you’ll see children who are either 3 or 4 years old

Related Articles
Debt Collection
Famly Usage Report
Parental Permissions
Managing Cash Payments
Setting Up Your Finance Fundamentals
Did this answer your question?