Searching the system is referred to as index searching, because the system searches for characters that are assigned as index terms in the various system files. For example, when a new customer is set up in the system, a customer name is entered, as well as index terms that are used to locate the customer later. These user-entered index terms typically include all or part of the customer name, phone number, and zip code, as well as other characters that your company wants to use.
Index searching is used to find products, customers, vendors, and transactions. When searching, enter as much information as possible to get the best results. For example, if you enter exact criteria that only exists in one file, that file opens upon executing the search. However, if you enter only one or two words that appear in many places, the system can return a long list of possible matches.
You can search the system in two ways:
Using words and numbers.
Using special characters in conjunction with alphanumeric characters.
Use any of the following ways to search with words and numbers:
Use only alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9) in your searches. The system ignores all special characters, unless a non-alphanumeric character has a special search function, as mentioned below. For example, searching for 12 returns matches on 12 and on 1/2.
Use either upper or lowercase letters. The system converts lowercase letters into uppercase letters for search purposes. For example, searching for microamp returns matches for MicroAmp and MicroAmprobe.
Use a space between words in a search. The search program looks for matches between the characters you type, separated by spaces, and the first characters of the indexed search words.
Use the following special characters in all searches throughout the system:
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If... |
Then the system... |
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a period (.) precedes numeric search criteria |
searches for the record ID. For example, in Customer Maintenance, .1234 returns that customer ID. |
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search criteria is followed by a period |
searches for an exact word match. For example, elec. would return ELEC but not ELECTRIC. |
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search criteria is followed by a forward slash (/) |
searches for an exact match anywhere in the word. For example, opp/ would return COPPER or STOPPER. |
Note: Other special characters are used in specific types of searches, as described in Searching for Customers or Vendors, Searching for Products, and Searching for Transactions.
When conducting system searches, note the following:
If the system does not find a match, it prompts you to re-enter your search criteria. Press the Spacebar to clear the field and repeat your search with different criteria.
If the system finds one match based on your search criteria, it displays it in the field from which you began the search. If the selected item is not the one you want, re-position the cursor in the field, press the Spacebar to clear the field, and repeat your search with different criteria.
If the system finds more than one match based on your search criteria, it displays a list of the matches. Navigate to the desired match and press Enter to select the match. If none of the displayed items are the one you want, press F12 to exit the list.
If the system displays a long list of matches, press F9 to display the Additional Search Criteria screen. Append new words or characters to your search criteria and press Enter. The system restarts the search from the beginning.
See Also:
Searching for Customers or Vendors