Did I just delete a channel? Probably not.

BeckyBodger

I recently sat in on a mixed level training course. The first day was all about the basics, and I discovered that even if you grid, filter, map, model, or pick targets like a pro, there is still so much to learn! One thing a few experienced users shared is how easy it is to delete channels from a database. When we asked them to show us, it turned out they were unaware of how hiding channels worked. So this is for all of you out there who might not know that you don't have to look at all your data at once, you can group your data and look at a few channels at a time, and an accidental tap on the space bar doesn't mean you need to start all over and re-import your data! Remember that any protected channel (showing a black triangle in the corner) cannot be deleted! So it's most likely hidden.

Here are the basics:

• To hide a channel right click on the channel name and click Hide Column (or Hide All).
  
• To re-display a channel click on an empty channel header and click List to see and select any hidden channels (or Display All).
  

Shortcuts:

• To hide a channel click on the channel name and press the space bar.
  
• Click on an empty channel header and type the full name of the channel you know is hidden to re-display it. This works well for channels with short names.
  

Other tips:

• Once a channel is hidden you can delete the empty column by pressing the Delete button.
  
• If you've created a grouping of channels, you can save your view so that it's easy to re-display the same channels again in the same order (this will also save your displayed profiles).
  From the Database menu select Save Working View.
  
• A database can store a lot of channels, but can only display 126 at a time. So if they don't all display after you import, don't panic. Right click on a channel name and click List to see the rest of your channels. To display them you will need to hide others. This is a good time to use saved working views.
  
• Some tools create new channels that are hidden by default. If you run a tool and don't see the results right away, always check the hidden list of channels.