Advanced Lists for Beginners
Table of Contents
Notice on Access to Advanced Lists............................................................................................. 2
Database Overview ........................................................................................................................ 2
Example: Real-life concept of a database............................................................................................... 2
Queries ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Example: Real-life concept of a query .................................................................................................... 2
Database terminology.................................................................................................................... 3
Reference 1: A Report.............................................................................................................................. 3
Reference 2: An Advanced List Template ............................................................................................. 3
Basic Parts of an Advanced List .................................................................................................... 4
Part 1: Objects .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Select Objects............................................................................................................................................................................ 4
The plus sign .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Viewing available fields in an object ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Data Diagram and Data Dictionary ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Connections or what is a join? .............................................................................................................................................. 5
Where do I set Inner vs Outer join?.................................................................................................................................... 5
Part 2: Filters............................................................................................................................................. 5
Filters in action using Reports ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Do I need to add filters?.......................................................................................................................................................... 6
When adding a filter row, what determines the fields in the drop down list box?................................................... 6
Conditions .................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
And/Or/Parens .......................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Global vs. Object Filters.......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Part 3: Display Fields ................................................................................................................................ 8
Display fields in action using Reports................................................................................................................................... 8
Selecting Display Fields ............................................................................................................................................................ 8
Display As and Column Order .............................................................................................................................................. 8
Glossary ........................................................................................................................................... 9
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Advanced Lists for Beginners
Notice on Access to Advanced Lists
By default, only the List Admin (a Platform Manager) can create Advanced Lists. However,
Platform Managers can also assign this capability to an entire Role(s) or to particular users.
Access to the data contained in lists is not governed by any existing profile access or Directory
settings. Therefore it is strongly recommended that precautions be taken when granting user and
role access to Lists as well as when using the List Results and Favorite Lists Portal channels.
Database Overview
The information on your school's website is stored in a database. A database is a structured collection of records
or data that is stored in a computer system. It is designed to store information as efficiently as possible with the
smallest storage size and eliminating unnecessary repetition.
Example: Real-life concept of a database
Your school has one or more campuses.
One campus has several buildings
One building has several offices
Generally, a building has a specific purpose. Most likely you have only one Alumni building as having three would
take up too much space. Additionally, it would take longer to get work done if users had to travel to multiple
buildings.
The building has offices where different tasks are done, such as alumni relations, giving and communications, to
reduce unnecessary repetition where possible.
Every school operates in its own specific way, but each school has the core foundations of Admissions,
Academics, Athletics and Alumni departments, so too is the design and look of your site is custom to your school
but the information itself is stored in a structured way behind the scenes.
Queries
A query is a request for information from a database. The query neither alters nor changes the information stored,
so you can't break your school's site by running one. The advanced list task is a tool that allows you to create
advanced queries.
Example: Real-life concept of a query
A parent calls you on Monday morning at 9:15.
“Hi, this is Mrs. Smith. I'm on my way to pick up Johnny for an appointment.”
How do you find Johnny?
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You start on the school campus
You review the schedule to see what block is meeting
You find which classes are meeting
You find out which class he has
You find the room where that class meets
You find the row where he sits
You’ve found Johnny!
Would you have taken different steps to find Johnny?
If so, that's ok. Just as you could have used an alternate way to find Johnny, you can create queries in multiple
ways.
Database terminology
Before you begin to use lists, you need to know some basic database terminology as advanced lists is intended for
users familiar with databases. For complex lists, please consult your school's database expert. For advanced list
templates, the following terminology should give you enough start-up knowledge.
For training you’ll need to use the following for reference:
Reference 1: A Report
Although a report is different from a list, the concept is the same. Using a report as a visual will help you to
understand the basic parts of a query.
1) From the left navigation, click on Reports
2) Click Run across from any report in the list (this opens a pop-up window)
Reference 2: An Advanced List Template
Using an Advanced List Template will help you see a completed list in action. Similar to the report, this big picture
visual will help you to understand the basic parts of a query.
1.
2.
3.
4.
From the left-hand navigation, click on Lists.
On the middle tab, click List Templates.
From the Template Category drop down list box, choose a category.
Click View/Copy across from the template.
In the middle of the screen, you'll see 6 tabs; we're only going to focus on the first three, Select Objects, Display
Fields, Filters, as these are the building blocks of advanced lists.

Objects are pieces of information (i.e. records) that are stored in your database. They are the raw
materials of your list, like yarn when knitting a sweater.
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

Filters are the criteria for your search that helps to limit your results. They are like the instructions to
the Christmas toy or the recipe for apple pie.
Display Fields are your results.
So, back to our example using Johnny:
The school (and all its information) is like your database
The class information is like your object
Your filters are Johnny Smith, today, 9:15am
The classroom row where Johnny sits is like your display field
Basic Parts of an Advanced List
Part 1: Objects
Select Objects
Use Reference 2:
On the Select Objects tab, the screen is divided into two parts: the available objects are on the left and the
selected objects are on the right. Since this is a template, we've pre-selected some objects. If you were to build a
list from scratch, by default, no objects appear in the right-hand column.
The plus sign
In the selected objects column you may see a Plus symbol next to an object. This indicates there are one or
more objects beneath it.
Use Reference 2:
1. Click on the plus sign to expand the objects.
2. Continue clicking on each plus sign you see until all objects are completely expanded
As discussed earlier, objects are records stored in your database. The available objects are grouped by topic (for
example, Constituent Information) to make it easier for you to find available objects. Clicking on the topic name
will expand the objects as light gray rows.
Viewing available fields in an object
Each object has specific pieces of information (fields) stored inside*. To view which fields are stored in which
object, you have the following options:


Data Diagram and Data Dictionary
Select object and view Display Fields
*Note: Not all fields in your database are available; some items such as GPAs are not actually stored, but rather
generated each time a report (report card, transcript, etc) is generated; if you have not entered the information in
the database (either by leaving it blank or by not purchasing the product) you will not have any results.
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Data Diagram and Data Dictionary
With both tools, you can perform an onscreen search for a specific field name. For example, if you want to
include a user's gender in your list results, but you don't know which object contains the gender field, you could
search the page to find the topic and the object.
Opening the Data Diagram and Data Dictionary
Use Reference 2:
1. In the upper right corner, click on Data Diagram and/or Data Dictionary
2. Review the layout of each document
a. The Data Diagram also shows which objects can be linked together in a query.
Select object and view Display Fields
Use Reference 2:
1. Click on the Topic (in dark gray) to expand the objects
2. Click on one of the Objects (light gray)
3. Wait for your screen to refresh
Now you'll see the object in the selected objects column
Connections or what is a join?
Objects are connected in an advanced list using either inner joins or outer joins. An inner join, only returns fields
that are common to both tables; an outer join includes fields from both.
Inner join: If you were searching for all users with the Staff role for example the User Role object would have to
exist for everyone you find, so it should be an inner.
Outer join: If we were looking for a list of Staff and their phone numbers but also wanted to see those without
phone numbers as well, the User Phone object would be an outer join. Essentially saying "we want to see all Staff
users, regardless of whether they have a phone number or not."
Where do I set Inner vs Outer join?
On the Select Objects tab, when you add an object to the selected objects, the default is set to Inner. To change
it to an outer join, uncheck the box next to Inner.
Part 2: Filters
The job of the filter is to process all the junk that the object gives you and refine the results so that you end up
with something useful to you. They are often confused with the Display Fields in their functionality. Filters are
your criteria whereas display fields show the information you want in your list.
In the scenario with Johnny, your filters are Johnny Smith, today, 9:15am but your display is class, room and row.
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Filters in action using Reports
Another way to view filters is to generate one of your manager-level reports from the left hand navigation
Reports.
Use Reference 1:
1. Click on Reports.
2. Click Run across from any report in the list (this opens a pop-up window)
The rows at the top (next to the drop down list boxes) are your filters.
Do I need to add filters?
Yes, a filter helps to limit your results to what you really want. Remember that your database holds historical
(information for multiple school years) and most often you are only concerned with one school year at a given
time.
When adding a filter row, what determines the fields in the drop down list box?
The list of available fields is determined by the objects you selected. The drop down list box will show all the
fields in the object, not just the fields you select in Display Fields (for your results). This is because you may want
to filter for the school year 2008-2009 but you don't necessarily need it to display in your results.
Use Reference 2:
1. Click on the Filters tab
2. Under global filters, click the plus sign to add a row.
Depending on the template you chose, you may already have some filter rows in place, just add a
row underneath
Don't worry about the and/or drop down list box for now
3. Click on the drop down list box for Field and view the list of fields
For each field, it lists the object name first, then the field name
For example, if you see User Base.First Name, User Base is the object and First Name is the field.
Conditions
Use Reference 1:
Look at the drop down list boxes in each row. These are your conditions. If you have School Year as one of your
filter rows, your drop down list box will show school years, such as 2008-2009, 2009-2010.
Depending on what the filter is, you have different options in the drop down list boxes, such as dates, true/false,
etc. The same hold true in advanced lists.
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Use Reference 2:
1. In Filters, add a row.
2. Choose a field from the drop down list box
A region will appear onscreen called Condition
This box will have the field name as well as a drop down list box. The list box items will be different based
on the field. For example, if your field is date-related, your conditions will be items such as on, after,
before.
If you want to change a condition once set, click on the double down arrows in between the Field and
Conditions columns.
And/Or/Parens
Sometimes, you may want to create a combined list of users. For example, maybe you want a list of all users with
either the Non-Teaching Staff or Teacher role. In this scenario, you would have one row for User Role = Teacher
and another row for User Role = Non-teaching Staff, but you would change the And to an Or so that we get all
users who are either a Teacher or Non-Teaching Staff role member.
Now you want to include email addresses for these users. Add a new row for email address, keeping the And.
You would add an open parenthesis on the first User Role filter row and a close parenthesis at the end of the
second. Similar to math, you want either role but the email address for everyone.
Global vs. Object Filters
On the Filters tab, the screen is divided into two sections, Global (Where) Filters and Object (Join) Filters.
Generally, when you add a filter row you want it to apply to all the data in your list. In the previous example,
when you added the filter row User Role = Non-Teaching Staff to find all Non-Teaching Staff, you would have
added the row under the Global (Where) Filter section.
Let’s say you also want to see their Telephone Numbers. Some Non-Teaching Staff may not have a telephone
number. Additionally, the only phone number we want back is their Home Phone (we don't need any of their
other phone numbers).
In Filters under the Object Filter (Join clause)* section
Add a filter row Field = User Phone.Phone Type and Condition = Any of Home
*In order to properly use an Object Filter (Join clause), you need to have the referenced Object set to an outer join (by
unchecking Inner) in Select Objects.
So based on our example:
In Select Objects > User Phone
Uncheck the box next to Inner (because you want all staff regardless of whether they have a phone number or not)
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Part 3: Display Fields
Display fields are what you're most concerned; they're the actual results that display. For example, when
generating a report, they're the results on the page.
Display fields in action using Reports
Using Reference 1
1. Click on Reports.
2. Click Run across from any report in the list (this opens a pop-up window.)
3. Click Generate Report.
Your screen will refresh and in general the columns in bold across the top are your display fields.
Selecting Display Fields
Using Reference 2:
1. Click on the Display Fields tab
2. Click on the Select Fields link
3. Click the plus sign to expand the objects
4. Place a check in the boxes you want
5. Click Select
Wait for your screen to refresh and you should see the selected fields on screen
Display As and Column Order
Since the technical field name may not be something you want in your results, you can rename the column header
for your display results. You do not need to rename any display fields or you can pick and choose which ones you
want to rename. You can also set the Column order (for display from left to right). Remember to set the order in
numerals of 10 (i.e. 10, 20, 30) so you have 9 other sort order options if you want to rearrange or add additional
display fields.
Before renaming fields, click Preview
Compare the column headers to the display fields above
Enter Display As for one of your fields
Click Preview
Compare column headers to the display fields above
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Glossary
Advanced list: WhippleHill functionality that provides a way to access data by creating lists using data relationships
and advanced queries; intended for users familiar with databases
Database: A database is a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system
Global filter: A global filter is the criteria for inner joined objects
Field: A field is part of a record (i.e. part of an Object/Table) held in a database, containing specific information.
Filter: the criteria for your search; helps to limit your results
Flat file: A flat file is a static spreadsheet that typically contains data that is not structurally related.
Inner join: An inner join is a specific type of join that links between two related objects/tables that only returns
related fields that are common in both objects/tables.
Join: A join combines records from two or more Objects/Tables in a database.
List template: A list template is a WhippleHill-created template based on the most common advanced lists used by
schools. A list template can be copied, so a user can make modifications to the copied template, but not to the
original template itself.
Object: An object container for multiple records which have the same characteristics. Example: User_Base is an
object which contains all users. The characteristics, or data components, in this object are each user's name,
User_ID, Host_ID, Grad Year, and Email address
Object filter: An object filter is the criteria for outer joined objects.
Outer join: An outer join is a specific type of join that links between two related objects/tables, and returns field
mismatches as well as matches from the two objects/tables.
Query: A query is a request for information from the database.
Report: A report is a WhippleHill-created document that combines data and programming functionality with the
Crystal Reports application. Reports are based on user access within your site.
Table: A table is the container for multiple records structured in rows (records) and columns (fields). A table is
often referred to as an Object.
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