  We present a general transfer-function approach to noise filtering in
open-loop Hamiltonian engineering protocols for open quantum systems. We show
how to identify a computationally tractable set of fundamental filter
functions, out of which arbitrary transfer filter functions may be assembled up
to arbitrary high order in principle. Besides avoiding the infinite recursive
hierarchy of filter functions that arises in general control scenarios, this
fundamental filter-functions set suffices to characterize the error suppression
capabilities of the control protocol in both the time and frequency domain. We
prove that the resulting notion of filtering order reveals conceptually
distinct, albeit complementary, features of the controlled dynamics as compared
to the order of error cancellation, traditionally defined in the Magnus sense.
Examples and implications are discussed.
