Outlook 2003 Filter SQL bug?

[traycerb]

On XPsp2 trying to filter my Outlook 2003 (SP3) contacts (from within the
Outlook UI), I came across a curious behavior: Say I want filter to my
Contacts. I go to View|Arrange By|Current View|Customize Current
View|Filter|Advanced and set the Field to "Home Phone" and the Condition to
"Is Not Empty." Outcome: I get a (filtered) list of only those contacts who
have a non-empty "Home Phone" field, ie all people with Home Phones. Fine so
far, right?? Well...

Now If I click on the SQL tab (instead of the Advanced tab), it converts
that filter into SQL DASL form like so: NOT("urn:schemas:contacts:homePhone"
IS NULL). HOWEVER, when *that* filter is run, it gives a *different* set of
results, including some entries with empty "Home Phone" fields! This, despite
the fact that the filter was not changed, simply programatically converted
(by Outlook) to an SQL query. The results don't make sense either (it's not
the complete list of null "home phone" entries, it's not a concatenation of
the null+non-null).

Anyone have any idea what's up? The reason I need to use the SQL filter in
the first place is to create a more complex search than the one in the
Advanced tab allows.

I have a work-around which involves searching for a hyphen (which is
imperfect, as, depending on how the number was entered, not all phone numbers
will have hyphens), but I'd like to know if anyone else has this problem, or
has a real solution.

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

There are several bugs with the SQL filter.

will the querybuilder meet your needs?
http://www.outlook-tips.net/archives/2004/20040927.htm

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]



Outlook Tips by email:
(e-mail address removed)

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
(e-mail address removed)

You can access this newsgroup by visiting
http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx or point your
newsreader to msnews.microsoft.com.

 

[traycerb]

There are several bugs with the SQL filter.

will the querybuilder meet your needs?
http://www.outlook-tips.net/archives/2004/20040927.htm

wow, that was exactly what I needed. it worked like a charm. I would have
*never* found that tip on my own. thanks so much.

 

[BrianBigHair]

I'm having the very same problem with custom views I've created (both
personal and public) on various task folders (both personal and public). I
set up the filters using the "Advanced" tab, and all is well for a while,
until one day I open up Outlook (usually on a seldom used fourth machine in
my arsenal) and find that (1) the Advanced filter features are gone and only
the DASL filter remains, and (2) the DASL filter doesn't present the same
results as the original.

I read somewhere that Office SP3 should take care of this. I downloaded it
today and no change in the behavior. Hmmm...

Who will save us from this?