Ad Hoc Advanced Table of Contents Functions... 1 Adding a Function to the Adhoc Query:... 1 Constant... 2 Coalesce... 4 Concatenate... 6 Add/Subtract... 7 Logical Expressions... 8 Creating a Logical Expression:... 8 Key Points:... 9 Additional Query Wizard Output Options... 9 Grouping and Aggregation... 11 Grouping... 11 Aggregate/Sub Total by... 11 Aggregate Types:... 12 Computer Education Support: Ad Hoc Advanced Page i
Functions Functions allow users to apply formatting to filters that are used when exporting the filter with Data Export tool. There are 5 functions that can be used in an Ad Hoc Query: Constant Allows the user to add a user-defined field as a constant value for all records when the query is exported using Data Export. For example, if you are exporting a list and plan to add it to Excel and add an additional field (that isn t located in Campus), you can add it from Infinite Campus. Coalesce Allows the user to define multiple fields where logic queries the first field and if NULL, the second field will be queried, and so on down the line until a value is found. Concatenate Allows users to combine two fields into one. For example instead of a student first name and student last name field, users can have a student full name field that combines the two. Add/Subtract The Add and Subtract functions allow users to take two fields and either add them together or subtract them. For example, you could take the 1 st Six Weeks GPA and 2 nd Six Weeks GPA and subtract them to see if there is a difference. (This will check to see if the student s GPA has gone up or down). Adding a Function to the Adhoc Query: 1. Navigate to Ad Hoc Reporting > Filter Designer. 2. Either create a new student query or open an existing query. 3. Click Add Function (located under the fields you select). 4. Follow directions in the examples below to add the appropriate Function. We will now give one or more examples of each function. Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 1
Constant 1. Name: Enter the name of the field. 2. Select Constant from the Function drop-down list. 3. Constant Value: a. Enter the value you want to appear when you export your data and click Add. (OR) b. If you want the column to be blank so the data can be entered in Excel, don t enter anything and click Add. Then, when you export your data, be sure to export it as delimited values (CSV). 4. Click Save. 5. Your field list will update with the added Function field. Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 2
6. Click Next and add/modify criteria, as needed to your other fields. You can NOT add an Operator or Value to the constant function. 7. Click Next. 8. Rename the column header for your new field so that it doesn t contain the name function. 9. Click Save or Save and Test. 10. Proceed to Data Export and export to CSV or PDF, as necessary. Here is an example of a data export to Excel (CSV) using the above example. Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 3
Coalesce 1. Name: Enter the name of the field. 2. Select Coalesce from the Function drop-down list. 3. Constant value: Select each field from the field list that you want IC to query in the order that you want the system to look. (For example, the system will look for the student s home phone first. If there is not a home phone, it will look for a guardian s cell phone, then the guardian s work phone.) 4. Click Save. 5. Add/Remove any fields to your filter and then click Next. Note: This filter requires the guardian and secondary field so that there will not be duplicate entries. Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 4
6. Add any criteria, as necessary and then click Next. 7. Change your column header to something that doesn t include the word Function and make any other changes to the screen as you see fit. 8. Click Save or Save and Test. 9. Proceed to Data Export and export to CSV or PDF. Note: As long as Infinite Campus found an entry in one of the fields you included in your function, a result will display for the student when the data is exported. If you have multiple records for a student, you may need to adjust your query in other places. In this example, we added the guardian field and the secondary field to only pull guardian information for only primary households. Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 5
Concatenate 1. Name: Enter the name of the field. 2. Select concatenate from the Function drop-down list. 3. Add all fields you want combined along with any necessary spaces/characters. a. Select the first field from the left and click the arrow to send it to the right. b. Click in the box next to Constant value and either hit your space bar to add a space or enter any other characters (comma, etc ) and then click Add. c. Select the next field from the left and click the arrow to send it to the right. d. Continue Steps a:c until you have all fields and spaces/characters that you want to see combined. 4. Click Save. Here is a screen print of the Fields listed updated with your new Function. 5. Click Next. 6. Add/Edit criteria on this screen, and click Next. Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 6
7. Edit the Column Header to be more appropriate (and not include the word: function ) and edit any other details on this screen as you see fit. Add/Subtract 1. Name: Enter the name of the field. 2. Select Add or Subtract from the Function drop-down list. 3. Add the fields from the left in the order you want them to perform the function. (In the example above, we are subtracting Term 1 from Term 2 to see if the student s GPA went up. If the resulting number is positive, the student s GPA went up. If the resulting number is negative, it went down. ) 4. Click Save. Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 7
Logical Expressions Logical Expressions allow a user to find multiple results in the same query rather than creating multiple queries. Previously (before Logical Expressions in Infinite Campus), queries looked at all criteria listed and the results would be based on all criteria being met. Now, it allows for users to indicate that some or all or a combination of criteria be met and display in the results. For example, the Expression below indicates that the Course Number must begin with 427 (math courses) and must end either during Term 2 or Term 6. (This is a Trimester school). So, we want to see all math courses that either begin at the beginning of the year or end at the end of the year. [In the past, we would have to do two filters: one for courses beginning with 427 that end Term 2 and one for courses beginning with 427 that end Term 6) Creating a Logical Expression: 1. Add all fields necessary for the expression and its results and click Next. 2. Click Add to add any of the fields listed again, if needed in the criteria. Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 8
3. Enter all criteria necessary. (Operator and Value, if necessary). 4. Enter your Logical Expression and click Save or Save and Test. When adding the logical expression, you will usually start off with your AND details and then the OR and always refer to the line of the criteria rather than the name of the field. Above we indicate that we want results relating to the details of line 1 and either the details of line 3 or the details of line 4. Key Points: All criteria listed must be included in the Logical Expression. If you add a field more than once, you must include criteria for the field. Clicking the X on this screen only removes the field from the criteria screen and not from the filter altogether. If you wish to remove the field from the filter altogether, you must remove it via the first screen where you added it initially. You cannot remove a field from the screen if that line item is included in the logical expression. You have to first remove it from the logical expression. In the example on page 8, if we try to delete row 4, we will get an error because the logical expression refers to 4. Additional Query Wizard Output Options In the Ad hoc Create class, users learn about the Output, Seq, Sort, Direction, Column Header and Alignment parts of the Format the output file/report screen in building an ad hoc query. (This is the third screen you see when moving through the query wizard.) In this class, you will learn the additional options which include Formatting and Length. Formatting: This field determines how values are reported when using the Data Export tool. It will include different options depending on which field is selected. The picture below includes the options when a text field is selected: The picture below includes the options when a numerical/formula field is selected: Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 9
The picture below includes the options when a date field is selected: Here is a list of Formatting options and how they will affect your field: Option Zero Pad Space Fill Upper Case / Lower Case Format: MM/DD/YYYY, MM-DD-YYYY etc Description This will pad number with Zeros to the left as long as alignment is set to right. When applying Zero Pad, you will have to identify how long the field should be using the Length field. For example with Zero Pad applied via Formatting and the number 6 entered in Length, 444 becomes 000444. Values are filled with spaces to reach the required field length. When applying Space Fill, you will to identify how long the field should be using the Length field. Values are reported entirely in Uppercase or Lowercase. This option is only text strings. When clicking on the Formatting drop-down for a date field, you will see a long list of formats that you can apply to the date. M = Month, D = Day, Y = Year Here are a some examples using the following date: July 21 st, 2012 MM/DD/YYYY = 07/21/1976 YYYYMM = 197607 MM-YYYY = 07-1976 YYYY-MM-DD = 1976-07-21 Format: 1,234.5 ; -1,234.5 OR Format: 1234.5 ; (1,234.5) OR Format: $1,234.00 ; -$1,234.00 OR Format: $1,234.00 ; ($1,234.00) These format options appear on numerical or function fields yielding a numerical result. For example, if you have a function that subtracts a student s Term 2 GPA from his/her Term 1 GPA, some student s GPA will go up and some will go down. The Format fields indicate how you want the positive and negative numbers to appear in the results. Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 10
Grouping and Aggregation The last screen of the Ad Hoc Query Wizard allows users to group together records and apply functions to the records such as add, count, average and more. Grouping Users can apply up to 5 levels of grouping to an adhoc query. In the example below, the ad hoc query is grouped by referral name. It will group together referrals made each person separately. Once you select a Group by option, you can then select to group it in ascending or descending order (Group Order). Aggregate/Sub Total by Under Aggregate/Sub Total by, you can select what you want the formula or Aggregate Type to be figured on. Then, in the Aggregate Type area, you select what function you want Infinite Campus to calculate based on the Aggregate/Sub Total by field. In the example to the right, the behavior records are grouped by Referral Name in ascending order. [Aggregate/Sub Total by (#1)] Then, there is a count Record Count of how many referrals were turned in by each person based on Student Number. The Aggregate Type is Record Count so if the person turned in a referral on the same person twice, it will count as 2 records rather than 1. [Aggregate/Sub Total by (#2)] The second Aggregate/Sub Total is by Demerits. What this will do is SUM (add) the number of demerits per group of students with referrals (still grouped by Referral Name). So, this will show how many days of suspension resulted in the referrals turned in by the person (Referral Name). [Aggregate/Sub Total by (#3)] The third Aggregate/Sub Total is a Distinct Count of how many referrals were turned in by each person based on their Full Name. This is very similar to the 1 st one we explained (by studentnumber), except this one might not give an accurate count if, by chance, there were two people in the school with exactly the same first, middle and last name. The other difference between it and the first Aggregate/ Sub Total is that if a referral was turned on a student more than once by the person, it will only count them once (Distinct Count). We added this one to demonstrate the Distinct Count option and to show that you can apply aggregate/sub totals to a function created in Infinite Campus. (In this case, the full name was created by using the concatenate function to combine the first, middle and last name.) Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 11
Aggregate Types: Type Record Count Distinct Count MIN MAX Description Counts the number of records in the group. Will count each record separately even if it is the same as another record in that group. For example, If records are grouped by referral name and a student displays more than once in the grouping, each occurrence will be counted. Counts the number of records in the group. If there are multiple records in the grouping that are exactly the same, it will count only one of them. For example, If records are grouped by referral name and a student displays more than once in the grouping, the student will only be counted once in the group rather than the number of times they appeared. Displays the lowest value in the group based on the field in the Aggregate/Sub Total by column. If the field was GPA, it would show the lowest GPA in the grouping. Displays the highest value in the group based on the field in the Aggregate/Sub Total by column. If the field was GPA, it would show the highest GPA in the grouping. SUM Adds up all the numbers based on the field in the Aggregate/Sub Total by column. If this was demerits, it would add the number of demerits in each record in the grouping together. AVG Averages the numbers based on the field in the Aggregate/Sub Total by column. If the field was GPA, it would average the GPA s in the group and show the GPA average based on all GPA s in the group. Computer Education Support: 4/12/2012 Ad Hoc Advanced - Page 12