On this page we will go over how to build a query from scratch by adding your own exports and filters.
New Query
At the top of the Queries page, click the button that says New Query to begin building your query. If you want to build a temporary query that will not save in your department folder, you can instead click the lightning bolt to create a Quick Query.
In the pop-up box, you will fill out multiple areas to help organize your query into the right place. Filling these areas in correctly is extremely helpful for keeping queries organized for both departments and GEPA!
Name: Prefix the title with the name of your department. You can use an abbreviation or the full name, but it is best practice to be consistent across all titles. Then give your query a descriptive name that describes what the query does.
User: This box should automatically be set to your name.
Realm: Select your department.
Sharing: You may check this box if you would like other Slate users to be able to view and run your query.
Folder: Select your department.
Type: This will automatically be set to “Local.”
Base: Select “Applications.”
When you click Save, the page will reload and bring you to the Edit Query page. Here is where you will add your exports, filters, and sorts for the query you want to create. Exports are the fields you want to review in your query, and filters are the conditions you set for what types of results the query will return. For example, if you wanted to run a query to see the citizenship status of all your PhD students, the export would be “Citizenship Status” and the filter would be PhD students.
Exports
To begin adding exports to your query, click the Export button on the right side of the page.
A pop-up box will appear where you can choose your exports. The first time you see this box you’ll need to check the Slate Template Library option to be able to see all the exports available for you. The option will save so you don’t need to check it again next time.
Type the export you’re looking for into the search bar. There are many exports to choose from, so you may find it helpful to search by your department.
Click Continue to add the Exports you’ve chosen to your query. You can add multiple exports, click and drag the exports to re-order them, or click the X at the end of the Export box to remove them.
Filters
To add a Filter to your query, click the Filter button at the right side of the page.
Just like with Exports, you can click the Slate Template Library box to view all the filters that are available for you to use. Use the search bar to locate the filter you wish to add to your query and click continue. Most filters will have an additional step where you set the exact specifications of the filter. For example, if you select to filter by Entry Term, it will prompt you to choose which entry terms you want to filter by. You can select more than one option by holding Control on your keyboard when you click. When you are finished you can click Save to add the filter, or click “Save and Add New” to continue adding further filters.
Just like Exports, you can add multiple exports, click and drag the exports to re-order them, or click the X at the end of the Filter box to remove them.
Using OR and NOT in Filters
An important thing to keep in mind about Filters is that by adding additional filters, you are adding additional conditions that your results have to meet. However, there may be times when you want to query for applications that meet only one of multiple conditions. In the below example, we will walk through how the query “reads” your filters, so that you can better understand how to set up filters to achieve the results you need!
Let’s say you wanted to query for PhD applications who either have a student visa or are US citizens. At first you may add those filters to your query like this:
However, these filters will not show you the results you’re looking for. These filters are showing all the PhD applications where the applicant reported they have a student visa AND they reported they’re a US citizen; basically, any applications that meet all three of these conditions. In order to show applications that meet either the correct Visa Type or correct Citizenship Status, we can use “OR.” Click and drag the “OR” button from the right side of the screen to between your filters.
The number of results skyrocketed! However, these filters are still not quite correct. The “OR” function has separated the filters into two groups: “Degree Type” and “Visa Type” in one group, and “Citizenship Status” in another group. So this query is now showing you all the PhD applications with an F1 visa, AND showing you all applications that are US Citizens - regardless of the degree type. We can solve this problem using the parentheses at the right, dragging them into the filters like so:
Now this query is showing us the PhD applications with either an F1 student visa or US citizenship, which was our initial goal!
Remember, if you ever need help with building a query you can always reach out to your evaluator or the rest of the Graduate Admissions team!