About the Intelligent Query Page
Main User Interface Components
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Overview
Clicking the IQ tab opens the Intelligent Query page. This standalone page provides a visual interface that contains all of the controls you need to create and run queries in a user-friendly way with no knowledge of database design, table relationships, or SQL.
As shown in the following illustration, the Intelligent Query page has a row of command buttons across the top. These buttons enable you to create, view, and manage the queries you create. Beneath the row of button are four main panels. These panels contain features that enable you build and define your queries. The illustration below identifies the main areas on this page. Place your mouse pointer over a link (without clicking) to view a general description of an area. Click the link to jump to the section on this page that provides more detailed information.
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Query Management Buttons
Use these button controls to create and manage your queries.
opens the design view where you can start designing a new query. If you are currently working on a query and have columns and conditions selected, clicking this button clears your current selections, allowing you to start a new query. You are prompted to save your current selections.
opens the Save Query window where you can give the query you are working on a name. You can also specify other query-related details and then save the query.
(a variant of the Save Query feature) saves a copy of the current query to the My Queries list with a different name.
opens the My Queries window to show a list of private queries (those created by the logged in user) as well as global (public) queries, which are those shared by other users).
opens the Recent Queries window to display a list of the last 12 queries opened by the logged in user.
opens the Query Tags window to display a list of existing query tags. The Add Tag feature in this window enables you to add new tags to the list.
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Main User Interface Components
The ParishSOFT IQ user interface consists of four main components:
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Column Picker Panel
The Column Picker panel lists all of the columns you can select (pick) to create your query. The columns are organized into main groups (or entities). The columns in the Column Picker panel are presented in a tree-style list. Expand the list to find the column or field you need. When you find it, select the checkbox to the left and then click and drag to the column to Result Columns panel on the right.
Expand and Collapse List Buttons
The columns in the Column Picker panel are grouped by entity. The entities are listed alphabetically. By default, the columns in each group are hidden. Open and close the groups by using these buttons:
● opens a group to show all of the columns in the group.
● closes a group so the individual columns within the group are not visible.
Checkbox Controls
Checkbox controls allow you to select columns that you want to include in your query. An empty checkbox appears next to the name of each group and next to the name of each column within a group. With a single click of the checkbox next to the group name, you can simultaneously select all columns within the group. If you want to select an individual column within a group, simply select the checkbox to the left of the column's name.
In its initial state, a checkbox is empty: . When you click inside the empty box, a small checkmark
appears inside the box to let you know that the column is selected. To deselect a single column, simply select the checkbox again. The checkmark is removed so you know the column is no longer selected. To deselect all of the selected columns, click
(this button appears at the bottom of the Column Picker panel).
● If you want to select all columns in a group, select the checkbox next to the group name. As shown in this illustration, all of the columns in the Batches group are selected when you select Batches:
● If you want to select specific columns, select the checkbox next to the desired column's name, as shown below:
Column Picker Panel Buttons
deselects all columns currently selected in the Column Picker panel.
adds condition statements to all columns currently selected in the Column Picker panel. The condition statements appear in the Query Conditions panel.
adds the columns selected in the Column Picker panel to the Result Columns panel.
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Result Columns Panel
The Result Columns panel shows the names of the columns you want to display in your query results. When you first open the Intelligent Query page to start a new query, the panel is empty. As you select columns, they are added to the Result Columns panel.
Controls for Adding Columns
You add columns to the Result Columns panel one of three ways:
● By dragging columns one at a time from the Column Picker panel into the Result Columns panel. For instructions, see Drag and Drop Method.
● By selecting columns in the Column Picker panel and then clicking . For instructions, see Select Columns and Click Method.
● By clicking the Add new column link in the Result Columns panel and then selecting the column from the displayed menu. For instructions, see Select the Add Column Link Method.
Result Column Headers
Each column you add to the Result Columns panel appears on a separate line. Each line item contains the following information:
● Expression
Shows the name of the selected column.
If you select the wrong column, click the link under the column's name. A dropdown menu is displayed with the names of columns. Select the column you want from the menu.
● Title
Shows the title of the column that displays in your query results.
If you want to change title to make it more descriptive, click the Title link. In the Title field, type a new name for the column, and then press Enter to save the change.
To re-display the default column title, select all of the text currently displayed in the field. Press the Del key on your keyboard to erase the contents of the field. Then, press Enter to display the original title.
Operations Buttons
(Sorting)
This button appears to the left of each column in the Result Columns panel. Click it to display a menu of options you can select to sort and move the columns in your query results. For details, go to How to Sort a Column's Data.
(Delete)
This button appears to the right of each selected column. Click it to remove the column from the Result Columns panel. The data in the column does not appear in your query results. For details, go to Removing a Query Column from a Query.
(Change to Aggregate Column)
This button appears to right of each selected column. Click it to display a menu of options you can select to aggregate the values in the column. Aggregate functions operate on a set of rows and return a summary value. For details, go to How to Calculate a Column's Data (Aggregate Functions).
Add New Column Link
Click [Add a new column] to add a new column to the query. For details, go to Adding a Column to a Query.
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Query Conditions Panel
In this panel, you can specify the filtering conditions (criteria) to apply to the data in a selected column.
Select Records Link
Clicking the all link in the "Select records" statement displays a menu of filters that you can apply to the query conditions. For details, go to Filters.
Operations Buttons
A button in this list may or may not be immediately visible. If visible, it is shaded. To activate the button, simply place your cursor directly on top of it (it changes color) and then click it.
(Add condition)
This button appears to the right of the Select records link. Click it to add a condition to a query. For details, go to Adding_a_Condition.
(Add group of conditions)
This button appears to the right of the Select records link. Click it to add a group of conditions to a query. For details, go to How to Group Conditions.
(Toggle enable)
A condition is automatically enabled as soon as you add it to a column.
This button appears to the right of a condition after you add it. Click once to disable (turn off) the condition. Click a second time to re-enable it (turn it back on). For details, go to How to Disable and Re-enable a Condition.
(Delete)
This button appears to the right of an applied condition. Click it to remove the condition from the query. For details, go to Removing_a_Condition.
Add New Condition Link
[Add a new condition]: adds a query condition. For details, go to Adding_a_Condition.
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Query Results Panel
After you run a query, the results are displayed in the Query Results panel. The results include only the columns you selected with data that satisfies the applied conditions (criteria).
Query Results Counter
This counter appears in the top left corner of the Query Results panel. The counter shows the number of records that meet your query criteria. For example, in the previous illustration, 95,607 records were found.
Results Per Page Dropdown List
From this dropdown list, you can specify how many records you want the system to display at one time. You can select to display all results (the default) or select a value between 50 (the minimum) and 5000 (the maximum). For details, go to How to Limit the Number of Result Records Returned by a Query.
Unique Records Only Checkbox
Select this checkbox to ensure that only unique records are displayed in the Query Results panel. For details, go to How to Remove Duplicate Records from Your Query Results.
Execute Query Button
After setting up the query, click this button to run it.
Query Results Button
Click this button to display a menu of options that enable you to use your query results in other applications. For example, you can export a query to a .csv file. You can also use the results as a data source for a mail merge or use them to create family workgroups and member workgroups in Family Directory.
Full-screen View Button
Click this button to switch to a full-screen view of the results shown in the Query Results panel. The view is automatically scaled to fit the size of your computer screen. For details, go to How to Switch to a Full-Screen View of Your Query Results.
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