Use Program Options to Speed Displays

The hallmark of PowerShift inquiries is flexibility with program options that control not only how data is presented but also how much data is displayed. The ability to access and review every transaction is invaluable, but it isn’t always necessary. Limiting inquiries to subsets of available data can provide quicker displays.

Many PowerShift inquiries have a Number of lines per screen option (listed on the Runtime tab) that lets you specify how many lines of data to return as a set. The default is 0, which displays all records that meet the selection criteria. In cases where a lot of data is returned, this can slow the initial display while data is being retrieved. Changing the number to something like 50 can make a big difference in how quickly you see the data. The initial screen is displayed as soon as the first 50 records that match the selection criteria are found.

Or maybe you don’t like using the vertical scroll bar? The maximum number of lines that can be displayed at one time varies by program, but you might experiment, starting with a number around 20. Use the Page up and Page down buttons to display the sets of data, one screen at a time.

You may have years of data available, but are typically interested in only the last several months of activity. Use a negative number as the “from” date in selection options; e.g., -3m limits data displayed to the last 3 months. Enter ?DATE at any PowerShift menu for a list of date shortcuts.

Contact the Qantel Helpdesk or call us at 630.300.6997 for more information about how program options can impact how (and how fast!) you see data displayed.