What do you do to allow for filtering data by operator from a dropdown that works best?
I have tried some things, but the tradeoffs are vast, so I could benefit from help.
Here are my best 2 and a half techniques so far:
On page A:
I type operator names as the value and the label both.
Cons for A:
String compare
Requires time to add or remove operators
Pros for A:
Initial setup is fast
Dropdown is reusable many places
On page B, I query all operators that worked in the last 6 months.
Then I assign a number in alphabetical order.
Then I bind the query to the options with value and label columns.
On page C, I do the same B except I add another parameter where the list of names is then filtered also by the production line.
Cons for B and C:
Initial setup is slower
Can't reuse the dropdown much
Additional filters require filtering operator query
Selecting other dropdown filters resets the dropdown of the operators
Pros:
Automatically adds and removes operators
Is there a good solution I don't know about?
Or do I need to have a table of operators and operator id numbers that I always reference
Then have the operator id put in any table that displays the operator?
Or will that just add more possible sets of errors?