The SKIP and KEEP commands are used to create temporary filters on the STU table that will only contain students meeting certain criteria such as a particular grade. 

 


Using a SKIP Command


The SKIP command is used to remove students from query results. When used the query results will not include the students that met the condition in the SKIP query. For example, in Query type: SKIP STU IF GR > 10  and click on the RUN button. The following form will display.  Click on the scroll bar and hold the button down.  Drag the scroll bar to the bottom of the form.  Only students that are less than grade 11 display. 




To exit and close this screen click the “X” in the upper right-hand corner.  The QUERY form will now display. 


In the top left above the navigation menu “STU Records are being skipped” will display. Any further queries or student data will skip all grades greater than grade 10.  




To give an example of how a SKIP statement works, type LIST STU SN LN FN GR BY GR.  Click on the RUN button. Click on the last page of the results and scroll to the bottom of the form. Notice that the last records displayed will only display up to grade 10. 





Using a KEEP Command


The KEEP command will give you access to only the students that met the condition in the statement. In Query type KEEP STU IF SX = F.  Click the RUN button. The only students displayed in the results are female.  Close the screen by clicking the  “X” in the upper right-hand corner.




The QUERY form will now display.  Above the Navigation tree “Stu Records are being skipped” will display.  Any further queries or review of student data will only access female students. Click on Student Data. Clicking on the Forward button will only display female students.

 



Reset SKIP or KEEP


When complete with running queries and/or reports that include a SKIP or KEEP, you must RESET the query by clicking the RESET button in the lower right corner of the form or above the Navigation tree.  “Records Are Being Skipped” will no longer display and further queries or accessing data will include all students.  If reset is not performed the only data accessible will be the query entered for the SKIP or KEEP command.








Undo Last KEEP/SKIP


When utilizing the KEEP/SKIP function, multiple KEEP/SKIP query statements can be generated.  In the example below two KEEP/SKIP query statements were run against the database.  



When the queries were run the first KEEP statement selected only female the students and the second KEEP statement selected only the 2nd grade students out of the previously kept female students. So the final result was a list of female students in 2nd grade. There is an Undo Last KEEP/SKIP link under the statement box that will remove the last KEEP/SKIP statement entered.


Click  the Undo Last KEEP/SKIP link, and the last statement generated will be removed.  Now when a query is generated the results will contain the female students from the first KEEP statement.