Data Grid Options Overview

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Article Goal

Explore the full range of Data Grid options in VDM, including how to interact with different parts of the grid to group, sort, format, summarize, and create custom expressions.

What Are Data Grid Options?

Data Grid Options are context-based tools accessible via right-click menus within the Data Grid. They provide a variety of functions to help you analyze, format, and manipulate your data in real time—without altering the underlying View or SQL.

Why Use Data Grid Options?

VDM's Grid Options allow for:

• Fast, on-the-fly data manipulation

• Enhanced visual formatting

• Interactive filtering and grouping

• Summarization and quick analysis

• Expression creation without SQL editing

Example Use Case

You’ve grouped a sales report by region and want to quickly add a summary total, hide unused columns, and calculate tax using an expression—all without permanently modifying the view. With Grid Options, you can accomplish all of this with just a few right-clicks.

Grid Interaction Zones & Features

VDM offers different right-click menus based on where you interact within the grid. Below is a breakdown by location:

Grid Header (Grouping & Layout Control)

Right-click the grid header to manage how data is grouped and displayed.

• Full Expand – Displays all grouped detail rows
• Full Collapse – Hides all grouped detail rows
• Clear Grouping – Removes all column groupings
• Hide Group By Box – Hides the “Group by” drag area

Grid Column Header (Column Management)

Right-click a column header to customize and organize specific columns.

• Sort Ascending / Descending – Applies a grid-level sort (does not affect View Sort Criteria)
• Group By This Column – Groups the grid by the selected column
• Hide Group By Box – Toggles the visibility of the grouping area
• Hide This Column (Legacy) – Hides the column for legacy exports
• Column Chooser – Re-adds removed columns to the grid
• Best Fit / Best Fit (All Columns) – Auto-resizes column(s) to fit the data
• Filter Editor – Adds temporary filters to the grid
• Show Find Panel – Displays a searchable text bar
• Show Auto Filter Row – Enables row-level filtering
• Conditional Formatting – Applies Excel-style formatting rules

Grid Body (Expression & Data Interaction)

Right-click within the grid body to access expression and filter options.

• Ask Bridgit – Opens the Bridgit chat
• Add Equal / Not Equal Speed Filter – Creates a quick View filter from the selected cell
• Update Filter/Group – Reapplies View-level filter and grouping conditions
• Enable Group Footer – Displays a summary row for grouped data
• Create List – Exports the selected column’s data to a text file
• Format Column – Adjusts the display format (e.g., currency or percent)
• Edit Expression – Modifies an existing unbound (custom) expression
• Add New Expression – Creates a new calculated column
• Expression Data Type – Sets the data type for the expression column

Pivot Grid Body (Advanced Pivot Options)

For Pivot Grids, right-clicking within the pivot body provides specialized options.

• Format Column – Applies formatting to pivoted data
• Sum / Count / Avg / Max / Min – Selects the summary calculation method
• Add Unbound Field – Inserts a custom field
• Edit Fields – Views or edits all unbound fields
• Use Summary Totals – Calculates values based on summary totals
• Reload – Resets the pivot display
• Use Summary Datatable – Uses the summary view as the pivot source
• Hide Filter Bar – Cleans up the UI by hiding filters and unused fields

Grid Footer (Summarization Tools)

Right-click the grid footer to add summary calculations.

• Sum – Adds all values in the column
• Min / Max – Displays the minimum or maximum value
• Count – Counts the total rows in the column
• Average – Displays the average value
• None – Removes the summary calculation

Common Grid Usage Tips

• Column Grouping
  Drag a column header into the top grouping area to group by that column.

• Group Summaries
  Right-click the group footer row and select a summary (e.g., sum or count).

• Grid Summaries
  Right-click the grid footer to summarize the entire column.

Creating Grid Column Expressions (Unbound)

Step 1: Add a New Expression

Right-click inside the Grid Body and select Add New Expression.

Step 2: Build and Save

Enter your expression (e.g., Total_Sales * 0.07 for tax) and click OK.

Step 3: Format as Needed

The expression appears as a new column prefixed with “@VDMEX” and can be formatted like any other column.

Tip: Right-click the expression column to format, rename, or reposition it.

Example Output

Expression: Client + ': ' + ACCOUNT_NUM

Article Summary

VDM’s Data Grid Options provide powerful tools to format, analyze, and enhance your data through right-click interactions in different areas of the grid. Whether you're grouping, summarizing, filtering, or creating expressions, these options give you full control over your layout—without modifying the underlying view.

Use these tools to quickly build flexible, insightful reports.