NYS Migrant Education

Selector: An Overview

Report Tab

This tab gives you a list of the Report Types you can base your report on. For example, you can base your report on all enrollments in your database, or on the most recent enrollment for each student. You can base your report on the facility information in your database, or on COE information.

Reports with "count" in parentheses are reports that give you a count rather than a list. For example, if you choose "All Enrollments," the report will generate a list of all the enrollments in your database. If you choose "All Enrollments (Student Count)" you will be given a count of students appearing on the report.

To select a Report Type, simply click on it, and a list of tables included in the Report Type you selected will appear. You are now ready to move to next step.

Comparisons Tab

The Comparisons tab is where you define what records you want to see. For example, you can tell Selector to show you only students in a particular district, or only students with enrollment dates within a certain year. You can add unlimited comparisons to any report.

Display Fields Tab

The Display Fields tab is where you choose which fields you want to be displayed in your report. You can display unlimited fields on any report.

Sort Fields Tab

The Sort Fields tab is where you can choose the order in which you want your report to be listed. For example, you can dictate that you want your report ordered by last name, or by enroll date, or by district code.

Sorting on more than one field

You can sort on more than one field. For instance, you could sort by Region Code, District Code and Last Name.

The sort field that is listed first will be sorted first. The sort field listed second will be sorted second, and so on. For example, say that you added two sort fields to your report: District Code and Last Name. If District Code is listed first, all the entries in your report will be sorted by district. All the "District A’s" will be together, all the "District B’s" will be together, etc. Then, within each District Code, the students will be sorted by Last Name. If you sorted by Last Name first, then by District Code, the entries would be sorted first in alphabetical order by last name. Then, within each last name (the Smith’s for example), the districts would be listed in order.

Moving Sort Fields Up and Down

To move a sort field up or down, select the field in the large white field. Then press the Move Up or Move Down button. The field will move up or down, accordingly.

SQL Tab

The SQL tab appears only when you have checked the Advanced check box at the bottom of the Report Tab. SQL stands for Sequential Query Language and shows you the syntax of the comparisons that you have submitted in the form as they are presented to the database engine. You only need to refer to this tab if you are curious or MIS2000 staff request you to do so.

Results Tab

The Results tab is where you run, print, and save your report.

To run your report, press the Run Query button.

To adjust the fonts in your report press the Set Font button

The font can be made larger or smaller, bold and/or italic. You can also change the font altogether. You will not see the changes on the screen. The changes will only appear when you print the file.

To print your report results, press the Print Query button.

To save your results as a table, press the Save as Table button. This will save a copy of the data as it appears in the results grid. You can choose where you want to save your report. Your report will be saved as ReportName.db in Paradox format or as ReportName.dbf file in a dBase database file format.

To save your results as a file, press the Save as File button. This will save a copy of the data in the format of your choice. Choices are comma separated values (csv), tab delimited text (txt) or pipe delimited text (txt). The comma separated format is frequently used to bring files into the Excel spreadsheet program.

Snap Setup Tab

This tab is where you can modify reports to be run in Snap Reports. Snap fields listed here will be available as filters in Snap Reports. Also, this tab allows you to prepare your Select Data for Designer.

Basic Selector Tutorial

This tutorial will only take a few moments, and will teach you how easy it is to create your own custom reports. The easiest way to use this tutorial is to print it by pressing the Print button at the top of this help screen.

1. Open the Report menu at the top of the MIS2000 screen, then select Report Builder.

2. You may want to maximize the Selector window by pressing the square in the top right corner of the window.

3. Notice that there are 7 tabs across the top of the Selector screen. The first tab is the Report tab, and it will be open.

4. Uncheck the Advanced tab for now.

5. Press the New Report button.

6. From the Report tab, click on All Enrollments. Wait until you see the list of tables appear in the white field to the right before moving on to the step 7.

7. Click on the Display Fields tab. Click on the + beside the Student table to open it.

8. Click on Last Name to select it, then press the Add Display Field button. You will see "Student.Last Name" appear in the large white field.

9. Repeat step 6 to add First Name to your report. Now students' first and last names will appear on your report.

Your screen should look like this.

NOTE: You can also double-click on a field to add it to the display
list.

10. Click on the Sort Fields tab. Open the Student table and select
Last Name.

11. Press the Add Sort Field button. "Student.LastName" will now appear in the large white field. Your report will now be sorted by last name.

Your screen should look like this.

NOTE: You can sort on more than one field. For instance, you could create a report and sort it by District Code and Last Name. The sort field that is listed first will be sorted first. The sort field listed second will be sorted second, and so on.

For example, say that you added two sort fields to your report:
District Code and Last Name. If District Code is listed first, all the entries in your report will be sorted by district. All the "District A's" will be together, all the
"District B's" will be together, etc. Then, within each District Code, the students will be sorted by Last Name.

12. Press the Results tab, then press Run Query. This report shows you the names, in alphabetical order, of all the enrollments in your database.

Congratulations, you have just created a report! See how easy it is?

Exercise

Based on the above steps, create an All Enrollments report that
displays Sex, Race, and Last
Name.

Sort your report by Race