1. Introduction
2. How to get the "All cards per board" report?
3. How to refine and configure your search criteria for custom reports?
4. How to save your filter for future reference?
5. Other feature capabilities
1. Introduction
Knowing how to find specific data from your complex processes and workflows is an important skill.
This article will help you to search smarter, so you can find the information you need.
The Advanced Search tool in Kanbanize is a very powerful feature that helps users to filter by a particular search category.
The most common scenario is the "keyword" search use case. Using the input field, you could easily search through all workspaces and boards for tasks matching your searched string. By default, the keyword search will look into the tasks' Owner, ID, Title, and Description.
The result is shown in a table view with graphical elements for faster and visual perception.
To create more sophisticated reports and get specific information from your account, the system allows you to refine and configure the data you need.
Important: There is a standard limit of 1000 records that can be exported to a spreadsheet. You will get a system message when the limit is reached.
TIP: We recommend optimizing/reviewing the required data for export or making several exports split by the "created at" property, for example.
2. How to get the "All cards per board" report?
Click on the magnifying glass located at the top of your account interface to open the Advanced Search panel.
The default panel view displays the board name on which you perform the search (left side of the panel).
Click the "Search" button (1) to run the report, and you will get all the cards from your board in a table view for better visual perception.
(2) Use the "Configure Result" button on your search panel to precisely show/hide the required fields from the tasks. You can use the supporting panel to select which properties will be displayed in the report.
(3) Using the visualization options, you can choose to display the data from your search in a bar graph or as a pie chart and slice it by certain criteria (for example owner). You can even display your results in a Kanban view mode using the last option.
(4) You can manage your search stream via the Options to the bottom left corner of the panel. Checkmark any of the following options to:
- Include archived cards - allow the search to return cards that have been archived.
- Include discarded cards - allow the search to return cards that have been discarded.
- Include subtasks – search in the title of the subtasks and show the matching ones in the result table.
- Exclude search criteria from the results - by default, your search criteria will be included in the results table. Select this option to disable this behavior.
Img.1
In many cases, that search outcome might lead to showing too many cards. You could sort them out by just clicking on the title of the desired field and changing the order as you like.
Note: Sorting by task IDs would mean that chronologically the newest tasks should be at the top.
To get a closer view of the actions we described above, please, watch the short video below. .
3. How to refine and configure your search criteria for custom reports?
- Refine your search criteria
Here is where the true value of the Refine criteria option in the Kanban search lies. The result we are searching for is not always a single type of entry. In many cases, the right information is a combination of tasks that match a pattern. Searching for these can be achieved with the "Refine Search Criteria" panel where you are selecting and adding fields to narrow down your search results.
Open the Advanced Search tool and click on the Refine search criteria link to open the dedicated "Refine Search Criteria" panel. It displays all properties in your account: both Regular and Custom fields. Аll the criteria are sorted in alphabetical order.
In this example, we will get a report for all cards in the Board where you perform the search, which are assigned to a particular user. To narrow down your search, select the "Owner" pill and click on Add.
The selected criteria are marked in green.
Note: You can select the following units for the time-related properties: Days, Hours, Minutes, Seconds.
Img.2
The criteria you select will be instantly added to the left side of the panel (img.3).
Note: All of the card elements (blockers, stickers, tags, types, and custom fields) are connected to the specific board/column/lane/workflow that they are used in. This means that if you select a card element that doesn't exist within the specific board/column/lane/workflow, the filter will not be successful and a disclaimer will appear next to the selected criteria.
Go there and define the Board name as well as the username from the drop-down menus. Then click on "Search" to run the report (1).
The system will filter out the information and will generate a report with all cards assigned to the selected user for the specified board.
Tip: In case you want to get cards for more than one Owner→ select “or” and define the second username from the dropdown list. Run the report via the Search button.
Img. 3
Note: Configure your matching results.
From the "Configure results panel", you can easily select the properties that you want visible in the report. You can also deselect the properties, which you consider unsuitable.
When you select/deselect the pills, click on "Apply changes" to see these parameters reflected in the report. Scroll right to see the extended report.
Tip: When organizing your search, you can drag and drop the properties you have selected to move them in order to achieve the most suitable visualization for your report.
Please, open the gif file in a new tab to get a closer view of the actions we described above.
4. How to save your filters for future reference?
One very common use case for the search usage is the generation of Monthly, Weekly, or just regular time-based reports. That's why we provide the option to set up your criteria and results once and save them for later frequent usage. You could then easily load your custom search criteria and execute it to receive the required information in the right format and details.
Once you group together the information you need and run a report, you can save it in order to generate the same report with a single click (load it) next time.
Click the "Save" button to open the "Save Filter" panel.
Give your filter a Name (1) and provide a "Filter description"(2) optional.
(3) You can share the filter with internal users in your account so that they can start using it, without configuring the data you want them focusing on. To share your filter with internal users, select their usernames, from the dropdown list.
Note: Еvery time you share a filter with a user, they receive an email notification.
All shared filters become available in the selected users' Load panels under the Advanced search, where all saved filters get stored.
(4) You can share your filter as public. If you select the "Share this filter as public" option and click on Save filter, you will get a unique URL link of your filter, which you can share with both registered users and people that are not registered in Kanbanize. For more information about public filters, check the dedicated article.
(5) Generate a PowerBI query of the saved filter to use it in the advanced query editor of MS PowerBI to build compelling visualizations with dynamic data. For more details, check the dedicated article.
Click the "Save filter" button to complete the action.
All saved filters are stored in Kanbanize. Click the Load button and the system will produce a menu that stores all saved and "shared" filters. You can easily re-open the actual version of the filter you are interested in just by clicking on its name.
5. Other feature capabilities
(1) You can export your data in an excel file where the outcome fields are aligned to match your excel columns. Use the "Download" icon at the bottom right corner and save the link to get your data in an Excel file.
(2) The system allows you to pin your filter as a widget directly on your Dashboard and have а quick access to important information at the entry point of your account. Click the "Pin to Dashboard" icon -> then Save and pin your Filter. For more information, please check the dedicated article.
(3) Share the filter externally.