In Oracle Primavera Cloud, you can use filters to adjust which activities show on the Activities screen. Filters will not remove activities all together – instead, they adjust which activities display at any given time. You can use filters to analyze project data in a variety of different ways. For example, you can use filters to view only critical activities, or only activities set to occur within the next two weeks. OPC comes preloaded with a wide variety of default filters, like Critical and Completed. However, you can also create your own custom filters to view your activities in any way necessary.

When working with custom filters, you might find your filters grayed out. This is a major issue, as you won’t be able to use any of your filters during this time.

There are two common situations that lead to grayed out filters in OPC: filter errors and mismatching View/Filter types. Luckily, both of these situations have common solutions – once you know what the issue is.

In this article, we will go over how to deal with grayed out filters in Oracle Primavera Cloud. First, we’ll cover how you can tell what is causing your grayed out filters. Then, we’ll look at how to resolve these issues, allowing you full access to your filters once again.

Using Filters

You can apply filters on a variety of pages in OPC, including the Activities and the Projects screens. Most screens featuring tables will allow you to create and apply filters. To apply a filter, select the filter icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Here, you’ll find a list of your most recently applied filters, and you can select one to turn it on.

If you don’t have any recent filters, you can select Manage Filters. From this window, you can see all available filters and their associated conditions. The program will provide you with several default filters under the Standard section. If you select the filter, the main workspace will display the filter’s conditions. To turn it on, simply select the Check Box and press Save.

With a filter applied, the filter button will feature a blue square icon. Any activities that don’t match the filter’s conditions will disappear from the view – both in the table and in the Gantt Chart. Now, you will only be able to see activities that match the filter’s conditions. To turn the filter off and view all activities once again, select the Filter icon and select Clear All Filters. Once again, all activities will display within both the table and the Gantt Chart.

Along with using the default Standard filters, you can also create your own filters in OPC. You can save these customized filters to the Project, the Workspace, or yourself as a user. For a full overview on how to create and use filters, please refer to this article: Creating and Using Filters in Oracle Primavera Cloud.

Why Are My Filters Grayed Out?

When dealing with custom filters in OPC, you may find that your Workspace or Personal filters are grayed out. You will not be able to turn a grayed out filter on or off – which may cause some distress. There are two main reasons why this may occur: either your filter has conditional errors, or you’re utilizing the wrong type of View. Both of these issues have very simple solutions.

Filter Errors

When creating a new filter, you might find both the filter checkboxes and the Save button grayed out. This is usually due to a filter error, such as a filter with nonsensical conditions.

In this example, I’ll be creating a filter to track activities that I have assigned a specific Phase code to. To create a new filter, I’ll select Add and name the filter “Phase 1.” In the filter conditions, I’ll select Phase as the main parameter. If I don’t select a code value within the second parameter field, all filters will automatically gray out – along with the Save button. At this time, I will not be able to turn on any filters, or even save or delete the filter that I just created.

This error is due to the fact that the filter is incomplete. I haven’t selected a code value, so the program doesn’t know what information to display with this filter on. There are two ways to solve an issue like this. If I want to keep this filter, I can select a code value from the second parameter to complete the filter. With a corrected filter, I will once again be able to turn filters on and off and use the Save button.

If I don’t actually need this filter, I could also select Cancel. This would delete the filter I created and take me out of the Manage Filters window. Now, when I open Manage Filters, all filters will once again be active and available.

Workspace/Project vs. Personal Views and Filters

If the filter checkboxes are grayed out, but the Save button is not, you’re dealing with mismatched Views and Filters. You can save both Views and Filters a variety of different ways – you can save them to the Project, Workspace, or User. You will only be able to use Filters for the same type of View that you are using. If you are using a Workspace Filter, you will only be able to use Workspace Views – all other views will be grayed out. The same is true vice versa: if you’re using a Personal View, you will only be able to use Personal Filters.

When dealing with a grayed out filter, first check and see what kind of View and what kind of Filter you are using. This is most likely the cause of the issue.

Luckily, it is very easy to copy and paste Views and Filters to different categories. If you want to use a Workspace View and a Personal Filter at the same time, you can copy/paste either the View or the Filter into the other category.

Let’s say you want to save your filter to the Workspace level so you can keep using it with a Workspace View. To do this, select the Filters button and then Manage Filters. Right click on the personal filter you want to copy and select Copy Row. Then, right click on the Workspace header and select Paste Row. Your personal filter will now be available under the workspace level, allowing you to use it with the Workspace View.

If you don’t have the capability to create workspace data, you can always copy and paste the Workspace View as a Personal View instead. To do this, select Views > Manage Views. In the same way, right click on the desired Workspace View and select Copy Row. Then, right click on the Personal header and select Paste View. Select the pasted View and select Apply. Now, you’ll be able to use your Personal Filter while using the desired View.

Summary

When working with filters in Oracle Primavera Cloud, it is common to run into grayed out filters. You can not turn grayed out filters on or off, which can be a major issue when analyzing project details. There are two reasons that this may occur: filter errors or mismatched View/Filter types.

If you have a filter error, both the filter and the Save button will be grayed out. You can fix this issue by resolving the error, or by selecting Cancel to remove the filter all together. However, if only the filter is grayed out, but not the Save button, you may be dealing with different types of Views and Filters. You can only use Workspace Filters when utilizing Workspace Views – so your Personal filters will be grayed out. The same is true vice versa – when using a Personal View, your Workspace filters will be grayed out. You can solve this issue by copying and pasting either the View or the Filter into the same category, fixing the mismatch. Once fixed, you can continue to use your filters to narrow down the activities that appear in the table.

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Lauren Hecker is an Oracle Primavera Cloud. Primavera P6, and Microsoft Project instructor. She teaches both onsite and virtual scheduling courses. To see her next open enrollment course, please visit our calendar. To schedule an onsite or custom course, please contact us!