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Advanced Search: What’s That?

It is always good when there are just a few search parameters, and when one can perform a query with a single text line (for example, Full Text Search). Nevertheless, in most cases, you need to conduct search while operating several parameters at the same time. For example, “Find all male files that has blue trousers, an Omega watch and the appendix removed.” In order to specify the conditions of such a query, you will need more than just one text line.

In such cases, Advanced Search would be much of a help. It is a universal query builder UI for data search and filtering. It will allow you setting the search conditions of almost any difficulty, while using exclusively natural language, terms and expressions of which are familiar to user.

Advanced Search Components

The Advanced Search user interface consists of three main components – a File Attributes Panel, Search Conditions panel, and Result Columns panel. The picture below shows the general layout, but the panels can be resized by dragging the horizontal and vertical separators:

File Attributes

While working with Advanced Search, you operate file attributes. They constitute something like the field structure of a DVI file that one can extract through construction of queries.

File Attributes Panel

This panel can be used as a visual representation of all attributes/fields of a DVI file, which we can use to build queries. It can be used to add entity attributes to a Result Columns panel (and they will be displayed in the result) or to a Search Conditions panel (in order to actually set the query conditions). You can either move selected attributes to the corresponding panels with a mouse or use buttons Add column and Add condition  ( ). 

Main branches

• The File branch contains general, administrative attributes of a File
• The AM branch contains all fields that are special to an AM/MP file
• The PM branch contains all fields that are special to a PM/UB or PUI file
• The Common branch contains all fields that exists in all file kinds

In general, it is a very bad idea to select checkboxes at a high level, as it will automatically also select all attributes within the underlying branches, effectively leading to a system overload. Instead, the checkboxes at a high level can be used to ensure that everything within the underlying branches is unchecked when the higher-level checkbox is unchecked.

 The buttons are used as:

Image Modified	Select all attributes (never use this - will be removed)
Image Modified	Remove selection from all attributes
Image Modified	Add selected attributes to the Result Columns panel to include them in the search result
Image Modified	Add selected attributes to the Search Conditions panel to be able to specify

Result Columns

Using columns panel you can specify the columns which you want to be displayed in your query results.

You have a list of lines, each of them represents a column in the query results. Every line consists the Attribute name (i.e. Day), a Title (i.e. DOB Day), which serves as a column title in the Results Panel, and buttons – for ordering, deleting and aggregating columns (on the left) and sorting (on the right).

Managing columns

When you click the button in front of each column specification, you get the option to move/delete the column or change its type from simple to grouped aggregate. The aggregation is currently not working. 

Sorting the result

When you click the None link at the end of each column specification, you get to option to sort this column Ascending or Descending. If you sort on multiple columns, the first sorted column from top to bottom (left to right on the paper) will have highest priority and so on.

Adding an extra column

Columns can be added from the File Attribute panel or from the  button.

You have to option to enter a search word, and then only attributes regarding this keyword will be visible in the branches.

Search Conditions

Here you can specify filtering conditions for data selection. So the result of your query will include only the data that satisfy those conditions.

Every line in the Conditions Panel corresponds to a single query condition. Every condition consists of 3 elements – an expression (some file attribute), an operator, and value(s) (one or more).

Attributes, together with operators and values set certain limitations regarding data which is stored under a given attribute. For example, “(Date) is equal to 23 Jul 2014,” “(Quantity) is greater than 35,” “(Weight) is less than 100,” and “(Name) starts with A.”

Enable or Disable Conditions

The checkbox in front of each line allows you to easily enable (checked) or disable (unchecked) any of your conditions so that you don't need to delete a condition in order to temporarily see which records it excludes.

Composite searches

Sometimes, you would like to include 'OR' conditions in your query. An example is seen below, where two query lines are grouped in a "bracket" or predicate with an any clause.

So, a result line is included if the Status File kind is any of AM or PM (effectively being an OR between sub-conditions):

If you click on the  button (or any other numbered button), you get the option to Open a new bracket, which creates a new group/predicate below and within the current button.

You may also Add a new condition either after the current group/predicate (at the same level), or Delete the whole group including all sub-conditions.

Finally, you may move the group up or down in the total list of conditions.

The group/predicate can change function if you click on i.e. the link:

You can choose between:

• all - corresponding to an AND between conditions
• not all - corresponding to an OR where one of the conditions must fail
• any - corresponding to a full OR between conditions where one of the conditions must succeed
• none - corresponding to a NOT ( AND ) where all of the conditions must fail

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RealWorldIntro RealWorldIntro

Real-world example

Let us imagine that we want to search for files where the AM or PM person is wearing either blue or grey trousers.

First, we need to find the Item number of the item to search for. We are looking for trousers, so according to the form, it is item 308. The search value for trousers is then "S308".

Item as a condition

Expand the Common branch in File Attributes panel and continue expanding down to F300 Clothing Items. Do not set any checkmarks on your way!

Then, check the Item row. It will also set all checkmarks above it. If you make any errors, just remove the checkmark next to Common, and all your selections in that branch will disappear.

Finally, click the  Add Condition button to add the Item attribute to the Search Conditions panel

This will add another query line (marked ), and your Search Conditions panel should now look like:

Specifying the item condition value

From above, you are directed to to enter the value to search for. In order to look for trousers, enter S308 as defined in the introduction.

If you want to look for multiple clothing items, these can be specified as a list, changing the operator to is in list and specifying multiple item numbers separated by a , (comma):

Colour as a condition

You want to specify multiple colours, blue or grey. In an ideal world, we could use the is in list operator and specify blue,grey as the value, but that would only result in items that have been specified as being exactly blue or grey, without any other words around it. It may be the case for well-structured new 2013+ files where the colour constraints have been expressed on the form, but we recommend using this approach instead:

The best way to search for a word is normally to use the contains operator, but because we want to specify either blue OR grey, we need to open a bracket to group these two different queries. Click the  button and choose Open new bracket.

It will create a new line  with an  predicate (equal to an OR between conditions within the group), and it will copy the condition content of  into the bracket as an  line.

You don't want to continue querying the Item, but wants to change it to Colour. 

Click the  button to bring up the field selector, type colour in the search field to reveal old branches that contain a colour field, and expand the Common, Effects and Clothing Items branches to choose the colour of clothing items that we are interested in.

Change the operator from starts with to contains to search for the colour anywhere in the Colour field sentence

and within the field, type blue as the value.

In order to add the next condition within the group you click the  button and choose to Add new condition.

It will add a copy of your line, and you then just need to enter grey as the value.

Finally, you want to see most of the entered field values in your result, so return to the File Attributes panel, 

check the fields/columns you want to include and click  to add these to the Result Columns panel.

You will end up with a condition and column list like this:

When you then click , you will get a list of results.

Whenever you execute the search, you get a new tab of results, so that you can compare different results.

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Advanced Search Container Advanced Search Container

Limiting search to files linked to specific Container(s) ^{New in 5.0.2.7}

If you start a new Advanced Search, the currently selected Container in the Administrative part of Simple Search will be automatically added to your default query:

This will also happen after you Clear an ongoing Advanced Search.

You can add an extra condition If you need to include multiple Containers:

Just click the [4.1] (or whatever it is numbered in your case) button in front of 'Container links' and choose to Add new condition.

Then click the [click here] link and choose the relevant Container short name from the list.

Repeat the procedure for each extra Container to include in your search.

Relevant Attributes

Be aware that you use different field attributes for Conditions and Columns. Use the 'Container CONDITION' attribute in Conditions but 'Container Short Name' or 'ContainerName' to display the container in the Result Columns.

Re-using searches

Your queries can be saved and then loaded again at a later stage to be able to repeat certain searches over time.

Save search

When you are satisfied with the query and the results you are producing, find the ribbon menu in the upper left corner and click .

It will ask for a search name, and you can type any text you like:

Finally, click  to save the complete search.

Load search

If a search has been saved (and the Advanced Search feature has been closed and reopened), the  button has been enabled.

When you click , you are presented with all the searches that you have saved on this machine.

Highlight the search in question and click  to load it, then  so get the result.

Delete search

If you click the  in front of a search name in the load list, you may delete it.

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