Skip to main content

Group, Sum, and Sort Data in VDM

Cory Fifield
Updated

Trouble Viewing Images? Right-click on any image and select "Open in new tab" to view a larger version. You can also zoom in using Ctrl + Mouse Wheel for easier readability.

 

 

Article Goal

This article walks you through how to sort, group, and summarize data in VDM using the Group/Sum/Sort panel within a view.

 

These tools let you control how your data is structured, displayed, and aggregated, making reports easier to interpret and use.

 

 

Grouping Your Data

Grouping helps you organize data into logical segments (like grouping accounts by client or calls by month).

 

How to Add a Group

1. Open VDM: Open / create your view in VDM.

 

 

2. Enter Group/Sum/Sort: Click on FSGS, then click the Group/Sum/Sort tab.

 

 

3. Choose a Field: In the Group section, select a report field from the Group drop-down.

🔁 To group by multiple fields, repeat the process to add additional sort levels. Simply click the + button to add more groups. Use the – button to remove unwanted groupings.

 

Date Grouping Options

For date fields, VDM offers additional grouping formats:

  • Month

  • Month/Year

  • Year

  • Quarter

  • Quarter/Year

 

 

 

4. Run and Save the View: Run the View to confirm you get the desired results. Save any changes you wish to keep. Use the – button to remove a summary if needed.

📌 Example: Grouping by Client allows you to summarize data by each client number.

 

 

 

Summarizing Grouped Data

Summaries enable aggregated calculations (like totals or averages) within each group.

 

How to Add a Summary

1. Open VDM: Open / create your view in VDM.

 

 

2. Enter Group/Sum/Sort: Click on FSGS, then click the Group/Sum/Sort tab.

 

 

3. Choose a Field: In the Summary section, select a report field from the Summary Field drop-down.

🔁 To sum multiple fields, repeat the process to add additional summaries. Simply click the + button to add more fields. Use the – button to remove unwanted fields.

 

 

4. Select Function: Choose a summary function you wish to apply to the field (see below for functions).

 

Summary Function Options

Function Description
AVG Calculates the average value
COUNT Counts the number of records
MAX Finds the highest value
MIN Finds the lowest value
SUM Adds up the total value
VALUE Returns the first value

📘 Example: You can get a count of Account_Num per grouped client.

 

 

 

5. Run and Save the View: Run the View to confirm you get the desired results. Save any changes you wish to keep. Use the – button to remove a summary if needed.

 

 

Sorting Your Data

Sorting allows you to organize the output of your view based on one or more report fields.

 

How to Add a Sort

1. Open VDM: Open / create your view in VDM.

 

 

2. Enter Group/Sum/Sort: Click on FSGS, then click the Group/Sum/Sort tab.

 

 

3. Choose a Field: From the Sort drop-down list, select the report field you want to sort by.

 

 

4. Select the Sort Order: From the Type drop-down, choose:

ASC for ascending (A–Z, 0–9)

DESC for descending (Z–A, 9–0)

 

🔁 To sort by multiple fields, repeat the process to add additional sort levels.

 

 

 

5. Run and Save the View: Run the View to confirm you get the desired results. Save any changes you wish to keep. Use the – button to remove a sort if needed.

 

 

Renaming Fields Using the Returned Name Column

VDM allows you to customize the display names of your output columns using the Returned Name column. This is especially useful for:

  • User-friendly column labels

  • Matching naming conventions for reports

  • Removing technical or raw database field names

 

 

How to Set a Returned Name

1. In the Group/Sum/Sort section, locate the Returned Name column beside each field.

 

 

2. Click into the field and enter the name you'd like to display in the Data Grid.

✏️ Example: Instead of showing cust_id, you can rename it to Customer ID.

💡 This change only affects the column name displayed in the view or exported file. It does not modify the original field name in the database.

🧠 Best Practice: Use spaces, capital letters, or friendly phrases to improve readability for non-technical users.

 

 

 

3. Run and Save the View: Run the View to confirm you get the desired results. Save any changes you wish to keep.

 

 

When to Use Returned Names

  • Creating reports or dashboards intended for end-users

  • Hiding cryptic or legacy field names

  • Standardizing naming across views

 

 

Article Summary

This article explains how to use VDM’s Group/Sum/Sort functionality to organize data and customize your results. In addition to sorting, grouping, and applying summary functions, you can rename column headers using the Returned Name column for cleaner, user-friendly outputs in the Data Grid.

 

 

Related articles

Comments

0 comments

Article is closed for comments.