Sorted list of time periods when running reports
We have a substantial number of academic time periods each year, so we now have a list of 76 time periods for the years 2014 - 2018 and will shortly add another 17 for 2019.
When using All Lists or All List Items reports, it's possible to limit the report by time period, but the time periods are not displayed in any discernible order and it's very difficult to use this field as a filter in any practical way.
We would like to be able to order the time periods in the drop down list:
(a) in the same or similar order used when linking a list to a time period (Preferred);
(b) alphabetically, in either ascending or descending order;
(c) by start date of the time period, in ascending or descending order.
Option (a) is our preferred approach as this allows us to group our various time periods by stream and to have the current year at the top of the list.
It would be helpful if this was able to be managed by the system admin role.
It would also be helpful if we could exclude some of the older time periods that are not associated with any lists, or that are associated only with archived lists.
Laura Stone
shared this idea
We have introduced an improvement to the time period filter on the All Lists and All List Items reports. When you click on the time period filter to select your time periods, time periods will now display in alphabetical order.
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Rachel Stone
commented
We are also concerned that as we increase the number of time periods, the wrong one will get chosen, since they're not in a consistent order. We use time periods all the time in reports to ensure that we prioritise problems with current lists, so the current behaviour of the system is unhelpful.
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Catherine O'Sullivan
commented
Like Linda, I'd prefer the sort to have the most recent period at the top of the sort. I've also been told:
A workaround is, if it is the same report filters which are used each time, you can save the URL of the report filters to your favourites in your browser. Then, when you want to rerun the report, you click the URL which will remember the filters and save you having to select the same time period.
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[Deleted User]
commented
We too would like to see this, the feature would make reporting so much easier. As the list of time periods available for reporting continues to grow year on year, it becomes more difficult each year to sift through the options to find the time periods required. A sort with current year at the top of the list sounds good.