Who is this article for?

Ideagen EHSQ Enterprise or Decani Users who want to perform a search

Reporting authorities, roles, and record access controls restrict data visibility.

Search reports that can be easily updated or customized based on real-time data, user preferences, or specific parameters are known as dynamic reports. Unlike static reports, which present fixed information at a given moment, search reports allow users to interact with the data.

Conducting a search that effectively filters data to present the desired results is of utmost importance. This process can involve various techniques such as filtering, drilling down into specific categories, or adjusting the time periods for the data being examined.

Search Filters

Filtering allows users to narrow down the vast amount of information available, focusing only on the most relevant data. This is particularly useful in situations where large datasets are involved, as it streamlines the search process and enhances efficiency.

Each time a new object is created or updated the object’s data is fed into the search engine. This allows searches to return new data instantly, in most cases within 100ms, regardless of the number of searchable records, adding relevant information to existing reports.

To run a simple keyword search, enter a word or phrase in the search box found in the page header. DO NOT click enter. The search prompt will automatically display matching results for the term and provide a search count.

Clicking an item above the line will open that item directly. Clicking an item below the line will open a list of items with the applied filters at the top of the list.

Narrow Searches by Module
Before entering a keyword, users can restrict the search to a certain module. Select the desired module from the " - All - " dropdown list. Selecting one or more modules opens the search screen with a list of results.

Clicking enter will produce a list using the set search filters.

Quick Filters are located at the top of every search screen followed by the search results in list view. The quick filters at the top of the screen can be hidden to maximize the result view.

Once the desired search result is identified, the search results can be saved, bookmarked, and shared for easy access using various report formats (list, table, chart, etc.). These and other reports are accessed from the Report Management screen.

Additional field-level filters can be added by clicking the Add Filters button.

If the filter chart does not have the exact options or flexibility needed, click Advanced to switch from the default filter to advanced filter criteria options.

Combining Multiple Filters
When multiple filters are selected, the expression is written as an AND search, meaning the results displayed will display items that meet the criteria for the first filter AND every additional filter after it.

Searching Tips

• Multiple-word searches perform an OR search, where each word can appear anywhere in the result. Only one word is required to return a result.
  Example: valve leak; will return a search where valve OR leak is found
• Enclosing multiple-word terms in quotes will result in an AND search. All words must appear in the result and in the order that they are entered.
  Example: "valve leak"; will return a search where valve AND leak are found
• All searches will also locate suffix or plural versions of a word
  Example: valve leak; will also return results that include valves AND leaking, etc.
• Entering a "+" immediately followed by a word AND a "–" followed by a word will force the inclusion AND exclusion of those words from a search.
  Example: +valve -leak; will require the word valve be in the result AND will exclude the word leak
• The first character in the search window cannot be a "-" character.
  Example: -valve; no results will be displayed
• Leading or trailing wildcards will both return results
  Example: ference or prefere will return results that contain the word preference.
• Results are normally sorted based on the last updated date (including updates by any user or process). However, for searches using keywords, results are sorted by relevancy to the keyword.
• Since the search engine tokenizes on case, to avoid confusing it, avoid searching with mixed-case terms.
  Example: McAfee, MCAFEE, mcafee, and McAfee will all return results. But mCAfee will not.
  To avoid missed results due to typos like this, search using all lowercase letters.

Future improvements coming to exact-match searches

Future improvements to exact-match searches from the primary search bar will be included in future releases.

Quick Filters also offer advanced Contains (exact) filters for fields. For additional information see Search Results "Contains vs. Contains Exact"

Search Results

By default, search results are shown in the list view. The search count is visible from the bottom right-hand corner of the page. The number of results per page can be set from a search result page navigator when there is more than one page of results.

Whether searching for a specific application or across all data, a predefined list of basic search criteria can be chosen. Additionally, filtering by a particular application in the primary search bar reduces the results to criteria specific to the application. Multiple fields can be added as search filters. Multiple filters perform an AND search, meaning the results displayed will be items that meet the criteria for every filter.

Tip
Quickly find filter fields. If an application has a lot of fields or measures, narrow the list by entering part of the field name or selecting one of the field type selectors.

When entering field criteria, keep these rules in mind:

• Is one of - returns items that have the criteria selected.
• Is not one - returns items that do not have the criteria selected.
• Is empty - returns items that do not have a value for the selected field.
• Is not empty - returns items that have data entered for the selected field.
• Contains - returns items that include the selected item(s) or text.
• Does not contain - returns items that do not include the selected item(s) or text.
• Contains Exact - returns items that equal the exact item or text. (case sensitive)

Contains vs. Contains Exact
Using double quotes in the Contains search field treats the text as text that should be included in the search. For instance, if a Contains search uses the text "Test Air Safety", the search results will display all the objects that contain "Test”, “Air”, and “Safety” regardless of their position or surrounding characters.

Contains Exact finds precise matches, ensuring no additional characters are included. A Contains Exact search for "Test Air" will only return an object where the field result is "Test Air" and would not include an object with a field that contains "Test the Air" or "test air".

During a hierarchical reference field search, there are two other options:

• Is at or below - returns items at an authority level equal to or below the selected item. For example, when searching for a person choose "at or below" to return all items created by anyone who falls below the selected person's reporting chain.
• Is below - is the same as "at or below" except it does not include the selected item.

"Me" and "My" Search Filters
Search reports can be set to recognize a specific Person or Team. Search reports can also be set to Me, My Alternates, and My Teams. When a search report is saved and shared using the Me, My Alternates, and My Teams filters, the report filter will adjust from a specific person and will instead produce a report unique to the User running the report.

A common example would be the generation of an Assignments Due report created by a manager and distributed to a department. If the report filter is set to Me, everyone will receive a report specific to them. The distribution of this report can be further enhanced using scheduled report notifications.

Searching by Date

By selecting specific dates, users can analyze data trends over different intervals, which can reveal significant changes and developments that occur over time. This temporal aspect is essential for making informed decisions based on historical data as well as forecasting future outcomes.

For dynamic search results involving Dates, where the criteria are relative to when the search is run, use one of the predefined options, e.g. Today, Tomorrow, Last Week, Next Month, Last Fiscal Quarter, Last Year, Last Fiscal Year, Last 365 Days, etc. Click Advanced to open a new filter box and expand the list.

Using the Between option enter a date range.

This date range can also be dynamic from Today. The Today keyword can be used in lieu of selecting an actual date for all date field search options. It can also be used with + or - to add or subtract days from Today.

Searching Similar Objects

Users are able to search for objects that share similar characteristics, provided that the relevant fields have been configured by a module developer with the Search similar field property. This configuration is essential as it determines which fields are taken into account during the similarity search process.

When fields are assigned the 'Search similar' property, users can select an object and then utilize the Find similar feature available under the Option button. By doing so, a search is triggered that presents a list of quick filters, displaying objects that are similar based on the criteria defined by those fields.

For instance, consider that both the Type and Title fields have been configured with the Search similar property. In this scenario, when a user selects the Find similar option from the Option button, the system will initiate a search that returns objects which have a matching Type and whose Title contains words similar to those of the selected object. This allows users to efficiently locate other objects that closely resemble the one they are interested in, based on the predefined fields.

Searching Attachments

Toggle on the Attachment search to scan attachments for the keywords of the search and return items with attachments where those keywords exist.

Attachment search limitations
The use of quotation marks or +/- symbols are not supported in attachment keyword search.

Searching Common Fields
Fields that are searchable over some or all selected data types or applications are called Common Fields. System administrators define common fields.

Search reports and notifications
For more information on search reports and notifications, review the following articles: Managing a search report or Sharing a search report