Filtering for specific bars and tasks

Filtering is a powerful feature that allows you to pick out specific tasks from the whole mass of project data. For example, you could filter for:

  • All tasks with a particular permanent resource allocation to create a 'To Do' list for that resource.
  • All tasks with a particular 'responsibility' code, to see which tasks are the responsibility of particular departments.
  • All the critical tasks in the project to see which tasks are setting the project finish date.
  • All the tasks in progress during March, or all the tasks due to start next week.
  • All tasks with a cost from a particular cost centre to monitor income and expenditure of that cost centre.

Once you have run a filter, you can edit the filtered bars and tasks in the same way that you can edit any other bars and tasks in the bar chart.

You can display subheadings in a filtered view that show the chart path of the filtered objects. This makes it easier to identify the summary group or subchart in which the filtered object is located.

You can save a filter as an attribute of a view, so that when you open a view that filter is automatically applied. For example, a 'To Do List' view could reference a filter for a particular resource, so that whenever that user opens their 'To Do List' view they immediately get a filtered view of only the tasks to which they are assigned.

You can use filter categories to classify the filters in your project. Categorising filters in this way makes it easier to find the filter you are looking for, for example when selecting a filter to apply to the active view.

Filtering is a way of querying the project database. You may be familiar with using SQL (Structured Query Language) to query databases in other programs such as Oracle® and Microsoft AccessTM. Asta Powerproject has its own query language, known as TQL, which is based largely on SQL. If you prefer, you can query your project database by typing a TQL statement directly into the Filter Properties dialog rather than using the Filter Wizard which guides you step-by-step through setting up a filter.

There are two types of filter in Asta Powerproject: bar and task filters, which filter bars and tasks in the project hierarchy, and RBS/CBS filters, which filter allocations in Resource Breakdown Structure and Cost Breakdown structure views. You create both types of filter in the same way. The type of filter is determined by the view that is currently active when you create a filter: if you create a filter while the current view displays the project hierarchy, you will create a bar and task filter; if you create a filter while the current view shows an RBS or CBS view, you will create an RBS/CBS filter.

You can only apply a filter to the appropriate type of view: you cannot apply a bar and task filter to an RBS or CBS view, and you cannot apply an RBS/CBS filter to a view showing the project hierarchy. Filters only appear in the Filter dropdown in the View Data group on the View tab and in the More Filters dialog when you are displaying the appropriate type of view: bar and task filters only appear when the current view displays the project hierarchy, and RBS/CBS filters only appear in an RBS or CBS view.

Once you have created a filter, you cannot change its type: you cannot change an RBS/CBS filter into a bar and task filter, and vice-versa.

Related Topics:

Creating a new filter using the Filter Wizard

Creating a new filter by typing a TQL statement

Categorising filters

Specifying how to apply filter criteria

Specifying how filters affect expanded and summary tasks

Specifying how filters affect bar start and finish dates

Displaying subheadings in filtered views

Applying and editing filters

Applying a filter to the project view

Using a filter to search for bars and tasks

Combining two or more filters into a single filter