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Author: Joel Kristenson
Last Updated: 2016-07-20
Overview
This article walks through the steps to save a search query as a favorite for future use. The query will be dynamic in nature, so if the data changes in your database, the record counts for the query will change respectively (ex: if you save a LYBUNT the count will drop as people who gave last year, give again this year).
Tip: It’s very useful to save queries as favorites, especially if the query is complex, or if it’s a query you run often. This will save time and help with operator error mistakes when rebuilding a search. In most cases you can also add this favorite to your Dashboard to quickly view the report without needing to reload it.
Steps
Create and run your query from whatever list you need to run it from i.e. Contacts (Voters/Donors), Contributions, Households, etc. In my example I used the Contacts (Voters/Donors list.
You can see which tabs are active in the search because they will display a blue lightning bolt. In my example I ran my search for all donors who gave both last year and this year which produced 8 results.
Expand the top-most Advanced Functions tool strip (directly below the [Search] button), and then click on the blue floppy disk button to begin saving the search as a favorite.
Give the query a very descriptive name, and click [Save]. You can also make the query private and/or protected if need be, as well as view further details on the saved queries i.e. create date, and who created it. My example is below for the favorite I created showing indv donors who gave both last year and this year.
That completes the steps to save a search favorite. Queries will *only* be stored in the list they were created in.
To load a search favorite you’ll need to return the list where the search was built (in this case it was the contacts ‘donors/voters’ list), navigate to the Favorites tab, check the box next to the saved favorite you need to load, and click [Search].
The related resources below link to a wide variety of articles and videos that are related to this topic. If you ever need a hand building queries, or anything else for that matter, please reach out to our live support team.
Related Resources
Article: Delete Saved Search Query
Article: SQL Wildcards
Article: Advanced Queries – The SQL Tab
Article: Creating and Saving Default Formats for Reporting with the Grid
Article: Querying by Email
Article: How to Use the New Dashboard Features – Adding Graphs and Metrics with Drag-and-Drop
Article: How to Create a Year-by-Year Giving History Report using Filtered Contribution Columns in the Grid – Primarily for Nonprofits
Article: Add Attributes, Attribute Dates, and Attribute Notes to the Grid by Formatting them in as Columns
Article: What Donors Have Increased Giving Over Last Year
Video: Getting Started 102 – Beginning Queries
Video: Favorites Deleting Saved Queries
Video: Getting Started 104 – Queries with Wildcards
Video: Favorite - Update and Delete a Favorite
Video: Attributes – Add attribute dates and notes to your list
Video: Reporting 104 – Joined tables
Video: Reporting 103 – Format with various contribution columns
Video: Filtered Contribution Columns in Format
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