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Data Selector
The standard Data Selector area of EPACT.net occupies the left side of the main window and is divided into three sections corresponding to the three available data dimensions, Period, Organisation and Drug or Product. It is also possible to display the Data Selector as a full screen which allows a better view of the available data. The selections made on this control are interpreted and converted into queries which are run against the PPA database when the Get Data button or the OK button on the graph or report template is clicked.
Left Justified
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The three boxes on the Data Selector window represent the dimensions of the information held on the PPA database. They will normally show the periods available, the organisational units, i.e. Practices, Doctors or Nurses, and the drug or appliance information, based on the BNF coding system. The rows initially show the top level of reporting available for each dimension. To show lower levels, double click with the left mouse button on the row you wish to break down. e.g. Double clicking on the BNF row for the Gastro-Intestinal chapter will show the sections which make up the Gastro-Intestinal chapter, and so on. You can also click once on the + symbol.
Double click on the higher level to close the breakdown, or single click on the - symbol. To make a single selection, click with the left mouse button on the row you wish to select. To make multiple selections, hold the left mouse button down and drag to select. To make multiple but non-contiguous selections hold down the control key (Ctrl) while clicking the left mouse button. To de-select an item, click on that item again.
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Full Window
This view may be useful if you want to select lower levels of the three Data Selector areas. If the Data Selector is changed to Full Window view after a report has been run the report will be displayed in a seperate Results Canvas and the Get Data button will be enabled. It is then possible to move between the Report or Graph folder and the Data Selector folder. Any changes made in the Data Selector will be reflected in the Results canvas if the Report/Graph folder is selected and the Get Data button pressed.
Clicking on the Get Data button on the Tool Bar causes changes made in the Data Selector to be reflected in any Graph or Report open in the Results Canvas, UNLESS the freeze option is selected on the graph or report concerned.
Data Selection
Care should be exercised when selecting data from different parts of the Data Selector tree structure to ensure that the selected items are exactly what you require. As an example, you may wish to select the months April 2000 to September 2000 from the Period selector. The required months fall within 2 separate Quarter branches i.e. April to June fall within the '1st Quarter 2000/2001' while July to September fall within the '2nd Quarter 2000/2001'. If the 1st and 2nd Quarter branches of the tree are expanded it is possible to select April and then press the Shift key while selecting September. This would result in the following selection:
On closer inspection it can be seen that, as well as the months April to September, the '2nd Quarter 2000/2001' item is selected. This would result in the totals for July, August and September being included as individual months and as members of the '2nd Quarter 2000/2001' group. If the report displays 'Selected Periods' this inclusion will appear obvious. However, displaying the results as 'Accumulated Periods' would include the values for the three months in the total twice.
To correctly select the months April to September they can either be individually selected or the above procedure used, followed by holding down the Control key and clicking the '2nd Quarter 2000/2001' item to deselect it. Whichever method is employed the correct selection for the months April to September will look like:
Tagging
Having made a selection in any of the three dimensions of the Data Selector it is possible to permanently save that selection for use at a later date. This is achieved by highlighting your selection, clicking on the Tag button, giving the Tag a name and selecting Save. The name of the tag will then appear in the list box of the particular dimension concerned.
Save
Save the current tag with the specified File Name. A warning will be shown if the File Name already exists.
Delete
Delete the currently selected tag. A user can only delete a tag if they created it in the first place.
Cancel
Close the Save/Delete Tags dialog without saving changes.
Share This
This button will only be displayed when the selected Data Type is BNF as tag sharing can only be applied to this dimension. Sharing enables tags to be saved so that they will be available for use by all users. If this button is pressed instead of the Save button the Sharing dialog will appear.
Sharing
This dialog allows the completion of the Shared Tag saving process. The details provided on the previous screen are displayed. A description of the use of the Tag should be typed into the 'Enter description' field.
The Delete, Use Now and Save buttons are disabled at this point as they are not required.
Share
If a description has been entered into the Description field a message will be displayed, confirming that the tag has been saved. If no description has been provided the user will be prompted to enter one.
Cancel
Close the Sharing dialog without saving the tag.
Tag Merge Style
When you select the tag you have created from the list box of a particular dimension, you will be asked whether you want to 'Add Selection' or 'Show Selection'. If you choose Add then your selection will be added to the bottom of the currently available items in the dimension. Choosing Show will replace all the existing available items, in the selected dimension, with the new selection.
Shared Tags
BNF Tags that have been defined as Shared are available for users to import and use within a session or copy and keep for later use.
Tag Name
This list includes all of the shared tags that are available for use. To select a tag from the list it can either be highlighted and the 'Enter' key pressed or 'double-clicked'. This will enable the appropriate buttons as well as populate the item list and description pad below the Tag Name list. The description pad displays the notes that were written when the shared tag was created. The creation and expiry dates for the tag are also displayed in the note pad. It should be noted that shared tags will be automatically deleted with the next months release of Prescribing Information after the specified expiry date.
Item Contents
The list of BNF items that are included in the currently selected shared tag.
Item Description
Description of the shared tags use, provided by the user that created the tag. The creation and Expiry date of the tag are also shown.
Delete
This button will only be enabled if you created the currently selected tag and will allow you to delete the tag.
Use Now
This button will be enabled when a tag has been selected from the list. Pressing the button will cause the Tag Merge dialog to appear making it possible to show the selected items or add the selected items to the items already displayed in the Data Selector. This chosen Tag will only be available for use by you for the duration of your current session. Next time you login the tag will not appear in your list of tags and will not contribute to the limit of tags you can save.
Save
Pressing this button saves a permanent, private copy of the Tag that only you can access. This will be added to your private list of tags; it will appear next time you log in and will contribute to the limit on the number of Tags you can save. As this is a copy of the shared tag it will not expire and will still be available when the shared tag has been deleted. However, it is good practice to periodically check that the BNF data held by the Tag is still relevant. As Shared Tags are only available for a relatively short period of time before they expire, it is recommended that users make a private copy of any that they feel are useful. Some tags are less suitable for saving than others, for example a tag that holds the most expensive drugs will list these drugs at the time the report was created. In subsequent months the list of these expensive drugs may change. In this case it is best to select Use Now with the currently available shared tag of expensive drugs than to save a private copy.
Share
This button is disabled in this case as it is only required when the Tag Share is created.
Cancel
This button closes the Sharing dialog.
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