Chapter 3 The Tariscope program

3.5 Working with views

3.5.9 Plain filter

The next filtering feature with increasing opportunities of filtering than features discussed in the previous section, is the advanced filter. To use this feature, click on the Filter icon on the toolbar, or select the menu: Filter → Filter. The Filter window appears, as shown in Figure 3.5.11.

filter Figure 3.5.11

This window appears also when you create a new view.

If you create a new view, the Filter window provides a choice of a view type:

for calls,
for services,
for IP traffic.

To select a view type, in the View type list, select a desired option.

If you apply this filter to a specific view, the View type list is inactive.

If Tariscope is used for multiple telecommunications nodes or multiple telephone systems, to select records for a desired node or telephone system, click on the "..." button located on the right of the Node/Equipment box. As a result, the Equipment selection window appears, the example of which is shown in Figure 3.5.12.

equipment selection Figure 3.5.12

In the Filter window (Figure 3.5.11) in the Period list, select a time period, if you wish to filter out calls during a specific time period. The Period list contains the following options:

No filter.
Today.
Yesterday.
This week.
Previous week.
This month.
Previous month.
This year.
Previous year.
Custom month.
Custom year.
Custom period.

When you select the Custom month option, two additional lists appear in the Filter window: Year and Month which are used for selection of a desired month.

When you select the Custom year option, the Year list appears in the Filter window, where you must specify a desired year.

When you select the Custom period option, the From and To calendar list appear in the Filter window. You should specify dates and times which are the beginning of the filtering period and the end of the filtering period. You can specify values only for one of these lists. If you have set values for the From list, Tariscope will filter out data from the specified date and time till the current moment. If you have set values for the To list, Tariscope will filter out data from the first date in the database till the specified date and time.

On the General tab of the Filter window you can set the following filter conditions.

The Source list allows to select an originator of calls. The list contains the following parameters:

Auto.
Extension.
External number.
Subscriber.
Group.
Route, trunk, gateway.
List.

Let's look at each of these parameters.

Auto. Type the desired value in the box located on the right from the Source list. The system will automatically find all combinations of the entered characters, which can be in a subscriber’s name or description of the area codes. The result of the search will be displayed in a list. The example of this is shown in Figure 3.5.13.

auto source
Figure 3.5.13

As you see in Figure 3.5.13, the "Sm" characters were entered. As a result, the system displays a list of data where "sm" characters are found. Then you can select a desired value from the list or continue the input to decrease a number of items in the list.

Extension. This choice allows you to find the call initiator using his phone number (extension). If you start entering digits, for example, "333", then a list of subscribers or area codes appear where this combination of digits are found. An example of this is shown in Figure 3.5.14.

extension source
Figure 3.5.14

Then you can select a desired value from the list or continue the input to decrease a number of items the list.

If in the Source list you have selected the Extension item, you can also click on the "..." button located on the right from the list. The Choose subscriber window appears. An example of the window is shown in Figure 3.5.15.

choose subscriber
Figure 3.5.15

This window has a number of features to the search of the desired subscriber.

Firstly, you can find a desired subscriber visually scrolling through the list.

Secondly, you can enter a desired parameter, such as a telephone number or name of a subscriber in the search bar. As a result, in the Choose subscriber window will be displayed records that match the search criteria. An example of such results is shown in Figure 3.5.16.

choose subscriber2
Figure 3.5.16

Thirdly, you can use a filtration in this window. To do this:

Determine a column by the value of which filtering will be performed. For example, let it be the Full name column.
Right-click on the header of this column. Menu appears as shown in Figure 3.5.17.
Click on the Filtering item. A submenu appears, an example of which is shown in Figure 3.5.18. Note that this submenu is different depending on which column is used and from the values of this column. This submenu contains items that are one or the first few characters of the column values.
Select required items in the submenu and click Apply.

Figure 3.5.17

submenu
Figure 3.5.18

As a result, records will be selected, which match to filter conditions, in the Choose subscriber window. From these records, select a desired record and click OK.

External number. This choice means that incoming calls made from this external number will be selected. In the Source box, type a desired external telephone number. You can specify the search on the part of the telephone number. For example, external phone numbers of calls from Kiev to subscribers of your telephone system located in Ukraine begin from 044 in the Tariscope database. Therefore, to search all incoming calls from Kiev, type: 044%, where % is a sign of the template.

Subscriber. This choice means that a search of calls that has made by a specific subscriber will be performed. An input or selection of a desired subscriber is completely analogous to that described for the Extension option.

Group. This choice means that a search of calls that have made by subscribers of a specific group will be performed. As described above, you can specify a desired group using an input of a group name or choice of the group in the Select group window shown in Figure 3.5.19. The choice of a desired group in this window is similar to a search of subscriber in the Choose subscriber window, which is described above.

select group
Figure 3.5.19

Route, trunk, gateway. This choice means that it will be performed a search for incoming calls that have been received through a specific gateway, route, or trunk. To search a desired gateway, route, or trunk, type its name in the Source box, or click on the "…" button and, select a desired value in the Choose gateways and trunks window.

List. This choice means that it will be performed a search for calls that have been made from telephone numbers that belong to this list and values of which are located in the Number A column of the table of calls. Type the list of telephone numbers separated by commas. For example, to search calls made from extensions 4000, 4005, and 0441234567, type: 4000,4005,0441234567.

The Destination list of the General tab (Figure 3.5.11) allows you to select a call terminator. An input of parameters, its choice is completely analogous to that is described for the Source position.

If you need a search for calls with a specific call originator and call terminator, you can combine the Source and Destination positions using one of the logical operations: AND, OR. An example of such filter settings is shown in Figure 3.5.20.

logical operation
Figure 3.5.20

If you select the AND operator for this example, the filtering conditions will mean that all calls made from the extension of 2259 to London will be selected.

If you select the OR operator for this example, the filtering conditions will mean that calls made from the extension of 2259 or calls made to London will be selected.

The From place (city) box of the General tab (Figure 3.5.11) allows you to find incoming calls made from a specific place (city) or from telephone numbers of specific mobile provider. Type a desired city name in the box. You can type a template. To specify a template, use the percentage symbol (%). For example, you are interested in all incoming calls made from the New York region. If the Tariscope database contains the city names for these area codes, then you should type: %New York%

The To place (city) box of the General tab (Figure 3.5.11) allows you to find outgoing calls made to subscribers in a specific city or to telephone numbers of a specific mobile provider. Type a desired city name in the box. You can type a template. To specify a template, use the percentage symbol (%). For example, you are interested in all long-distance calls made to Germany. If the Tariscope database contains the name of this country, you can type the following template: %Germany%

The General tab contains also the Call attributes section that allows you to specify the following parameters for search of calls:

Call direction.
Call type.
Record type.
Terminate reason.

The Call direction parameter provides a search of calls made in a certain direction. To set a value of this parameter, click the "..." button that leads to appearance of the Choose items window shown in Figure 3.5.21.

choose items
Figure 3.5.21

In the window, select check boxes for those directions that are of interest, and click OK. If you need all items, click the Check all link. If the call direction is not specified, it is assumed that all destinations are selected.

To quickly clean of all selected items, click on the Uncheck All link.

The Call type parameter allows you to select records only with specific call types. To select the call types, click on the "…" button. The Choose items window appears as shown in Figure 3.5.22.

choose items2
Figure 3.5.22

In the window, select check boxes for those call types that are of interest, and click OK. If you need all items, click the Check all link. If the Call type parameter is not specified, it is assumed that all call types are selected.

The Record type parameter allows you to select records only for specific record types. To select the record types, click on the "…" button. The Choose items window appears as shown in Figure 3.5.23.

choose items3
Figure 3.5.23

In the window, select check boxes for those record types that are of interest, and click OK. If you need all items, click the Check all link. If the Record type parameter is not specified, it is assumed that all record types are selected.

The Terminate reason parameter allows you to select only those calls which were completed with a specific termination code. To choose the desired codes, click on the "…" button located on the right from the Terminate reason box. The Choose items window appears as shown in Figure 3.5.24.

choose items4
Figure 3.5.24

In the window, select check boxes with desired termination codes, and click OK. If you need all items, click the Check all link. If the Terminate reason parameter is not specified, it is assumed that all terminate reasons are selected.

Besides the main filtering options, the Filter window allows you to specify a number of additional parameters. To do this, select the Advanced tab. The Filter window will be as shown in Figure 3.5.25.

filter2
Figure 3.5.25

The tab allows you to set the following filter parameters:

Auth code. You can specify an authentication code if it was used.
Project code. You can set this parameter if it is used and consisted in CDR data.
Category. You can filter out records on the category names if they were entered in Tariscope.
Cost from … to. These parameters allow specifying a range of call costs.
Day type. Defines a day type when call was made: Workday, Holiday, Saturday, Sunday.
Time of day. The parameter allows specifying a time period during which the calls should be selected.
Duration. Defines a time range of a call duration.
TTA. (Time To Answer). TTA is a time period when the ring tone sounds. You can set these parameters in case if your telephone system generates such information.

Type the desired values in the following boxes: Auth code, Project code, Cost.

Selection of the filtering parameters for the Category and Day type items are performed from the additional windows that are invoked by clicking on the "…" buttons located on the right of these positions.

Selection of time ranges for the Time of day, Duration and TTA items are performed by selecting check boxes in a desired position and specifying the desired values.

After setting of the filtering parameters on the General and Advanced tabs, draw attention on the value of the Combine with list located in the bottom line of the Filter window (Figure 3.5.25).

By default, the value of the list is empty. This means that as filter conditions are used only parameters which was set in the window. The list contains the permanent and custom options. The permanent options are following:

Base filter of view. These are the base filtering parameters that were set for the current view. If you select this item, it means that the filter conditions of the Filter window will be combined with the filter conditions of the base filter.
Current filter of view. Select this item, if you want to combine the current filter conditions of the view with the filter conditions of the Filter window.

If you have saved filters in Tariscope, they and pre-set filters will be displayed in the list as custom options. If you select any option in the list, the filtering parameters specified in the Filter window will be combined with the filtering parameters of the selected option using logical operator. By default, the AND operator is set. You can choose other logical operators such as: OR, AND NOT.

In order to view how looks the SQL query of the Filter window before applying its parameters, click on the SQL icon located on the bottom line of the window filter. An example of the Filter window after clicking the SQL icon is shown in Figure 3.5.26.

filter3
Figure 3.5.26

This window displays a portion of the SQL query that is located in a query after the WHERE operator. Tariscope defines the syntax of the query and for the convenience it displays the various its parts in different colors.

In order to return from this form of the Filter window to its normal form, click on SQL icon or on the Press here link.

You can change the SQL query. But the changes will not be saved, if you return to the normal form of the Filter window.

If you wish to quickly clear all filtering parameters of the Filter window, click on the Clear filters icon located on the left part of the bottom line of the window.

To apply the filter parameters which were set in the Filter window, click OK. As a result, the current view will display calls that match the filtering conditions.

If you wish to cancel the filtering parameters in the view and return the view to the state before applying the filter, on the toolbar, click on the Previous filter icon or select in the menu: Filter → Previous filter. If you a few times changed the filter conditions, you can change these filter clicking on the icons: Previous filter and Next filter.

Consider the following example of using of the advanced filter. For example, you need to obtain information about all long-distance (national) and international calls of William Johnson where the call duration is more than 2 minutes.

To do this, we set the following parameters on the General tab of the Filter window:

If you remember the phone number of William Johnson, in the Source box when it has the Auto option in the list, type the phone number. If you do not remember the phone number, in the Source list, select the Subscriber value, click on the "..." button and in the Choose subscriber window, select William Johnson, as described above.
Click on the "…" button of the Call type position and select values: National and International.

The Filter window will look as shown in Figure 3.5.27.

filter example1 Figure 3.5.27