Standard Search

About Standard Search

Standard Search provides you with a set of properties called attributes. By entering data in the attribute fields, you can define your search results to only include those items that match the attribute criteria that you have entered.  In addition, you have the ability to utilize wildcards, queries, and valid values.  Valid values are characteristics that have already been defined as being available for specific attributes.  For example, if you are searching for a particular part that is manufactured by a known manufacturer, then a certain naming convention may be attributed to that particular manufacturer's inventory - for example, all parts that are manufactured for ACME may start with the letters "AC".  When entering the name of the manufacturer in the appropriate field, and then selecting the valid values option on the manufacturer item number, you will only retrieve a list of items that are valid for that particular search.  Having this capability will assist you in customizing your searches to retrieve only that information that is logical for your end result.

You can set values for the attributes on the Standard Search tab in one of three ways:

  • Enter the values directly
  • Select the Valid Values/Query Builder button.
    • Use Query Builder to create a custom criteria using a list of options that are provided dynamically for both the numeric and alphanumeric attribute fields.
    • Use Valid Values to select a predefined value for an attribute.

When Performing Standard Search

  • The searchable attributes available on the Standard Search tab vary with the view selected from the Search Form field.
  • You can narrow your search for items using Category Browser by selecting a specific node and entering the appropriate attribute information.
  • For some item types, you may see a Show Additional Properties button in the Standard Search window. This button will expand additional attributes for the item based on the Search Form you have selected, which will assist you to further narrow your search.
  • Wildcard characters and Boolean Operators are supported for creating the search criteria in Standard Search.  When using wildcards or special characters in your search, you must add a slash (\) in front of the special character in order for the search engine to identify the operator, and return the proper results.
  • Search attributes cannot be combined using the OR operator.  Multiple search attributes are combined using the AND operator.
  • Please note that your search results can vary, depending on:
    • which properties are available in the search form
    • what values are set for the properties in the search form
    • what project you are searching
    • what revision you are searching
    • whether the mapping between an internal item and a project has been deleted

    For example: 

    • If an internal item is associated with project A, but you are logged in to Project B and select Current Project in the search form, you will not find the internal item associated with project A.
    • Parts associated with multiple projects are listed once for each project. If the link between an internal item and a project is deleted, the entry for that internal item and project combination will not show up in the search results. That is, if Part 1 is associated with Project A and Project B, you will have a Part 1 - Project A entry and a Part 1 - Project B entry. If the link between Part 1 and Project B is then deleted, the entry for Part 1 - Project B will be removed from the search results.

Accessing Standard Search

Within CES, there are many methods of accessing Standard Search. To complete the scenario below, select one of the following methods to access the Standard Search window:

 
If You Are Using the... Then...

Advanced Access

  1. In the Main Access Area, click the Advanced Access link

  2. In the Advanced Access window, click the Standard Search tab to access the Standard Search window.

Favorites
  1. From the Favorites pane, expand My Searches to display your list of saved searches.

  2. Select the saved search you wish to view, right-click, and select Open from the shortcut menu.

How To Perform a Standard Search

For the following scenario, the Accessing Standard Search: Advanced Access method is used to access the Standard Search window. 
  1. From the Standard Search window, select the Environment that you wish to use for your search.  In the following scenario, a search for manufacturing items will be conducted.  Therefore, Item is selected from the Environment drop-down menu.  Now that you have specified your environment for the search, select the Type of items that you want to include in your search.  In the picture below, Items - Manufacturing has been selected.

  2. Now that the environment and type of search has been defined, you have the ability to apply an additional filter to your search by selecting a Search Form to view the item information.  All manufacturer items, internal items, or supplier items can apply any of the following views from the Search Form menu:

    1. All Items - Contains information about manufacturer items, supplier items, and internal items.  Information such as manufacturer item number, description, supplier item number, internal item number, price, currency code, and price unit.

    2. Manufacturer's Content View - Contains only manufacturer specific content.

    3. Supplier's Content View - Contains supplier specific information including price, currency, and price unit.

    4. Internal Content View - Contains internal specific content including the internal item number.

  3. If you select a particular view, the attributes that can be defined for the search will also change based on your selection.  For example, selecting the Manufacture's Content will narrow the attributes to only those that define manufacturers in the database.  The same is true for all other selections as well, as each one will narrow the attributes accordingly as shown below.

  4. When selecting the All Items form view, all the possible combinations of attributes are displayed that will result in the broadest search result.  In addition, the Show Additional Properties link is available which can be expanded to add additional attribute data to the search criteria, which allows you to further narrow your search results. After expansion, the link is changed to Hide Additional Properties.

  5. In addition to the attributes, you can further define your search by utilizing the Valid Values/Query Builder option located to the right of each of the attribute fields.  The Valid Values window allows you to select a predefined value for the attribute in an effort to make your search more productive.  The Query Builder window creates a complex query to custom filter your search.  For more information about these options, see the Valid Values and Query Builder pages of this section.

  6. Once you have defined the attribute criteria for your search, can click the Search button in the Advanced Access window to conduct your search.  The Search Results window appears with items that meet the search criteria.  You can also save your search criteria.  See Save Search page for more information.

The Advanced Access Window

This table describes the fields displayed in the Advanced Access window.

Fields Description
Search Form A configuration on a class which has a set of search and results properties.
Manufacturer Item No. A item from a manufacturer, usually defined by a unique manufacturer identifier number.
Manufacturer An external organization that manufactures items.
Supplier Item No. An item from a supplier, usually defined by a unique supplier identifier number that may be related to more than one manufacturer item number.
Supplier An external organization that supplies items.
Internal Item No. An item used (consumed) internally by an internal organization.  This item may be used to construct Bills of Materials (BOMs) managed by the internal organization.
Internal Organization Usually an organization that belongs to the hierarchy of organizations.
Mfr Item Description A unique name identifier of the manufacturing item.
Supplier Item Description A unique name identifier of the supplier item.
List Price Displays all the list/fixed prices associated with the selected item.
Currency Something that is in circulation (coins, treasury notes, and bank notes) as a medium of exchange.
List Price UOM How the price is calculated in bulk quantity.
Internal Item Description A unique name identifier of the internal item.


This table describes the buttons displayed in the Advanced Access window:

Button Description
Conducts the search based on the criteria entered.
Clears all the entered criteria in the Advanced Access window.
Saves the search criteria and places it in Favorites for future access.
Applies a configuration to the search criteria and the concluding search results.
Expands the search criteria to include additional attributes for defining the search.