The Custom Criteria function enables you to generate reports using criteria other than what is already provided in Sage HRMS standard selection criteria.
Note: When you use custom criteria, Sage HRMS disables all other selection criteria. To clear your custom criteria selection, select the blank option from the list.
Use the Custom Criteria Table
In Sage HRMS, you can create expressions that define specific criteria for selecting employees. Sage HRMS stores these expressions in the Criteria Code table. When you set up options for your reports, you can choose a criteria code from (or add a new one to) the Criteria code table. Sage HRMS then generates the report according to the expression set up for the criterion code you selected.
Tip: If the expression you are creating will be used more than once, add it to your Criteria code table. It will then be available for you to select any time you need it. Follow the steps below to add a new criterion code.
Select Custom Criteria Table from the Custom Criteria list. The Criteria Table dialog box opens and lists the criteria codes you defined in your Criteria Code table.
Note: If you did not define criteria codes, only the selection Add New Code appears in the list.
Criteria Code Actions
To Select an Existing Criteria Code
- From the Criteria Table dialog box, highlight the code.
- Click . The expression appears in the Custom Criteria field.
To Add a New Criteria Code
- From the Criteria Table dialog box, click Add New Code.
- Click to open the Criteria Table dialog box.
- Enter a description for your criterion.
- Click . The Expression Builder opens.
For detailed instructions for using the Expression Builder, refer to Expressions and Functions.
- Create an expression. The preceding figure shows an expression to generate a report for only seasonal workers. We selected the field P_SEASONAL from the Employee Personnel database and set it equal to (Y)es.
- When you complete the expression, click . The expression displays in the Custom Criteria field. Sage HRMS uses this expression to generate a report that includes only seasonal employees.
Use the Custom Criteria Builder
You can use the Sage HRMS Criteria Builder to build expressions for your selection criteria and save them to your criteria code table.
Note: The Criteria Builder enables you to create an expression with fields only from the Employee Personnel (HRPERSNL) database. If you need to build an expression with fields from a database other than HRPERSNL, you must use the Expression Builder.
The following steps build an expression you would use to produce a report that includes Production Managers who started their jobs on or after January 1, 2015. Building this expression requires you to define two selection criteria: employees whose Job Title is Production Managers and of those Production Managers, those who started their job on or after 01/01/15.
To Create an Expression with the Criteria Builder
- Select the Criteria Builder option from the Custom Criteria list. The Criteria Builder dialog box opens.
- From the Field list, select Job Title.
- From the Relationship list, select Equal To.
- In the Value field, type Production Managers.
- Since we need to define another criteria, click the And button. The first part of the expression appears in the dialog box and we’re ready to enter the second criteria.
- From the Field list, select Job Start Date.
- From the Relationship list, select Greater Than or Equal To.
- In the Value field, type 01/01/15.
- Click the Done button. The dialog box now shows the complete expression.
- To save the Expression to your criteria code table, click the Save To Criteria Table button. The Criteria Table dialog box opens.
- Type a description for your new expression.
- Click .
Note: To delete all the criteria you defined and start over, click Reset. If you want to delete one criterion at a time (from the last to the first), click Undo.
Use the Expression Builder
You can access the Visual FoxPro Expression Builder any time you need to create an expression for your custom criteria. Select Visual FoxPro Expression Builder from the Custom Criteria field. The Expression Builder opens for you to start building your expression. When you have completed it, click . Your expression is available from the Custom Criteria field list when you generate reports within the selected report category. Refer to Expressions and Functions, for detailed instructions on using the Expression Builder.
Tip: If you only need to use fields from the Employee Personnel database (HRPERSNL) in your expression, consider using the Criteria Builder rather than the Expression Builder. The Criteria Builder can be simpler to use than the Expression Builder. If you need to build an expression with fields from any database other than HRPERSNL, you must use the Expression Builder.