A record type filter is applied in the FD to distinguish between multiple record types, enabling you to build table definitions that include only a targeted set of records (based on the value of a specific data item in each record). Sometimes, it is also desirable to further limit the COBOL records used as rows once the table definition has been created, and for that you need to define a table filter.
For example, an employee payroll master file might have a single record type containing all employee information, but separate tables for active and inactive employees are desired. A table filter may be used for this purpose. Whilst a separate record type could be defined in the FD form for each table, this seems unnecessary in most cases, where the need is only for additional filter factors.
A table filter defines the criteria that determine the records to be viewed in the Table form. Remember that a table filter is in addition to the record type filter; the record type filter is in effect for the record type being used to define the table. so you do not have to re-select the filter factors already in the record type filter when applying a table filter.