Creating and Managing Nested Filters in VDM

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Article Goal

Explain how to create and manage nested filters within VDM's Field Selection Grid System (FSGS) to build more complex and logical filter statements.

What Are Nested Filters?

Nested Filters allow you to combine multiple filter conditions in a structured hierarchy. Instead of evaluating each condition independently, nested filters define logical groupings that determine the order of evaluation, such as combining AND/OR conditions together more precisely.

Tip: Nested filters are especially useful when you want to group related conditions under a shared logic—like "show results where status is open AND (priority is high OR due date is soon)."

Why Use Nested Filters?

• Create advanced conditional logic

• Combine multiple filters with mixed AND/OR operators

• Define a filter hierarchy for more precise results

• Mimic SQL-like logic flow directly inside the FSGS panel

Use Case: You want to return orders from a specific region where either the freight is over $50 OR the order is overdue.

Steps to Create Nested Filters in VDM

Step 1: Open or Create a View

• Launch VDM

• Open an existing View or create a new one

Step 2: Go to the FSGS Tab

• Navigate to the FSGS (Field Selection Grid System) panel

• This is where all filter logic is configured

Step 3: Begin Creating Filters

• Add standard filters as you normally would

• These filters will serve as your base layer before nesting

Step 4: Select a Filter to Nest

• Click to the left of the filter you want to group

• A gray arrow icon will appear next to the selected filter, indicating it's ready to be dragged

Step 5: Drag and Nest the Filter

• Click and drag the gray arrow onto the filter you want to nest under

• When you see a green arrow, release the mouse

This creates a nested group, with a visual indent and a dropdown arrow to expand/collapse the nested conditions.

Step 6: Expand or Collapse Nested Groups

Use the dropdown arrow to show or hide nested filters for easier navigation and editing

Step 7: Remove a Nested Filter (Optional)

• Click the nested filter’s gray arrow

• Drag it out of the group until you see a blue arrow

• Release to return the filter to the base level

This "un-nests" the filter and resets its evaluation order.

Article Summary

Nested filters allow you to group multiple filter conditions together to build sophisticated filtering logic in VDM’s FSGS. By dragging filters into groups, you can control how conditions are evaluated—just like parentheses in SQL. This is especially helpful when combining AND/OR logic or prioritizing specific condition sets.

Use Case: Combine "Region = West" with "(Freight > 50 OR Orders Overdue)" for more precise insights—without writing SQL.