8 ways to filter data in your Tadabase app

Welcome back to Build It with Tim! Today's episode is all about filtering, a crucial aspect of Tadabase apps. We'll cover eight different methods to apply filters to various parts of your application. Let's get started!

1. Data Source Filtering: You can filter records before they load on a page by adding filters in the data source configuration. For example, you can set it to only display rental units with a vacant status.

2. Filtering in the Data Builder: As an app administrator, you can apply filters to view specific data sets within the builder itself. This is useful for getting a clear picture of your data.

3. Filtering with Complex Formulas and Rollup Fields: You can use complex formulas or rollup fields to perform calculations on connected values. By adding conditions, you can filter the data used in these calculations. For instance, you can calculate the average monthly rent for properties only from vacant units.

4. Filtering with Rules and Automations: Apply conditions to update records based on specific criteria. For example, when an offer status is changed to "accepted" and the property status is "for sale," automatically update the status field to "pending."

5. Filtering during Data Intake: Set dependencies on connected fields in a form to filter data based on user selections. For example, when users choose a property, only show the available units for that property.

6. Filter Tabs: Allow end users to apply pre-configured filters using filter tabs. Users can quickly switch between different filter combinations for a better view of the data.

7. User-Configured Filter Menu: Enable users to create their own filters on-the-fly to personalize their data view. This gives users more control over what they see.

8. Search Component for Filtering: While it's mainly used for searching, the search component can also serve as a powerful filtering tool. Connect it to data components and apply various search criteria to display filtered results.

By learning and utilizing these different filtering methods, you can create sophisticated and powerful data manipulations in your Tadabase app. Remember, filtering can be layered, combining multiple filtering techniques for a tailored data view.

That's it for today's episode. We hope you found these eight ways to filter data in your Tadabase app helpful. Thanks for watching, and see you in the next one! Take care.

Features Discussed:

1. Data Source Filtering (Time: 01:18)
   Learn how to filter records before they load on a page by setting filters in the data source configuration. For example, display only rental units with a vacant status.
2. Filtering in the Data Builder (Time: 02:19)
   Learn how to apply filters within the data builder to view specific data sets. This is useful for administrators to get a clear picture of the data.
3. Filtering with Complex Formulas and Rollup Fields (Time: 03:30)
   Explore the use of complex formulas or rollup fields to perform calculations on connected values. Learn to filter data used in these calculations, like calculating the average rent for vacant properties.
4. Filtering with Rules and Automations (Time: 04:54)
   Learn how to apply conditions to update records based on specific criteria, such as updating a property’s status to "pending" when an offer is accepted.
5. Filtering during Data Intake (Time: 06:41)
   Learn to set dependencies on connected fields in a form to filter data based on user selections. For example, show only available units for a selected property.
6. Filter Tabs (Time: 08:07)
   Learn how to allow end users to apply pre-configured filters using filter tabs, enabling them to switch between different filter combinations easily.
7. User-Configured Filter Menu (Time: 08:46)
   Learn to enable users to create their own filters on-the-fly, giving them more control over their data view.
8. Search Component for Filtering (Time: 09:53)
   Learn how the search component can be used as a filtering tool by connecting it to data components and applying search criteria to display filtered results.

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Transcript Summary

Introduction

Hey everybody, welcome back to Build It with Tadabase. On today's episode, we are going to be talking about filtering and how filtering is one of the most important parts of Tadabase.

Returning to the Basics

For this episode, I wanted to come back to foundational stuff—back to basics, as they say. We're talking about filtering inside of Tadabase, and to do that, we're going to explore a variety of features and areas within Tadabase where filtering is available. Today, we'll be discussing eight different ways you can apply filtering to various parts of your application.

Data Source Filtering

We're starting with data source filtering. In this case, I've added a page that displays records from my rental unit data table. If I look at this component and open up the component configuration window, I can navigate to the Data Source tab. Inside this tab, you can see that the data source is coming from the rental units data table.

Now, what if I wanted to filter which records actually show before the page even loads? I can add a new filter inside the Data Source Filters menu. For example, let's say we only want to show rental units where the status is "vacant." By adding that data source filter, when I preview this page, it's only going to show me the vacant units.

Behind-the-Scenes Filtering in the Builder

The next method of filtering doesn't take place in the published application but rather behind the scenes in the Builder. As an administrator of the application, there may be instances where you want to filter the data as it sits in the Builder to get a better idea of the data stored in your application. You can add filters right here in the Data Builder to get a clearer image of any specific dataset. For example, if I apply the same filter here, I can see the specific records that match my criteria.

Filtering Data with Complex Formulas

Next, we're staying inside the Data Builder to talk about filtering through how fields calculate different pieces of information. In this example, we have two tables side by side: rental properties and rental units, where each rental unit connects to a particular rental property. Each rental unit has a monthly rent and a status field—whether it's leased, vacant, or pending.

In the rental properties data table, I have a field called "average monthly rent," which looks at the connected rental units and calculates the average monthly rent for each unit on the property. This field uses a complex formula, meaning we're performing a calculation on a connected value, such as an average. However, if I want to add a filter or a condition to only average the rental units where the status is "vacant," I can do so. This filters the actual data used in the calculation.

Filtering with Rules and Automations

Just as we placed a condition to filter data in a complex formula, the next example of filtering involves using conditions with rules and automations. On this page, I have a table showing all my property listings, displaying two different status fields: property status and offer status. I want to set up a rule so that when the offer status is "accepted," the property status automatically updates to "pending."

To achieve this, we'll create an edit form and a rule inside the form to update the record value. But to apply the correct filtering, we'll add a condition that says this rule should only apply when the offer status is "accepted" and the property status is "for sale." Now, when I edit a record that matches this condition, the status will update as desired.

Filtering During Data Intake

Another way to filter data is through the data intake process. On this page, I have a form component designed to accept rental applications. The user first selects a property and then selects a unit. By default, we don't have a way to link the unit to the selected property, and we also want to filter the units shown to only those that are currently vacant.

To address these issues, we go back to the page builder, edit the form component, and set a dependency on the unit to the property. We change the unit connection field to show only rental units connected to the selected property. Then, in the Filter Records tab, we filter the rental units to show only those where the status is "vacant." Now, when the user selects a property, the form will filter and show only the relevant, vacant units.

Filter Tabs, User Configured Filters, and Search Components

For the last three filtering methods, we're staying on this one page. These methods include filter tabs, user-configured filter menus, and search components.

1. Filter Tabs:

• I have a table of rental applications with a status field showing "unread," "closed," and "open." To allow users to quickly filter by these statuses, we can create filter tabs. In the page builder, we enable filter tabs and create pre-configured filters that users can click on to filter the data.

1. User-Configured Filters:

• The table component can be configured to allow end users to add their own filters and filter the data on the fly. For instance, a user can filter the table to show only unread applications.

1. Search Components:

• Finally, the search component acts as another way to filter data. It allows users to search and apply filters to the data displayed on the page. For example, users can search for applications with a specific status, and the results will display accordingly.

Conclusion

As you can see, filtering inside Tadabase is a powerful and flexible tool that can be layered in many ways to achieve the desired data view and manipulation. Whether you're using complex formulas, rules, or simply allowing users to search and filter data, understanding and mastering filtering is essential.