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Finding Records

You can find a specific record, such as an account, contact, or opportunity, by using any of these methods:

• Search section in the Action bar

  The Search section, located in the top left corner, is a quick way to find a record that already exists. You can use the Search section to perform a search for most record types. Before creating a new account, contact, and so on, it is a good idea to determine if it already exists.

• Alpha Search or Quick Filter on list pages for the record type

  All record types have a list page where you can view a subset of records or sort records.

• Lookup windows for some fields

  When entering record information, you might see the Lookup icon next to a field. This indicates that you can select an existing record to fill in the field rather than type in the information. In the Lookup window, the records are displayed as a list, and you can use the Alpha Search or Quick Filter where available.

Using the Search Section to Find Records

In the first field in the Search section in the Action bar, you can select the record type that you want to search. You can select All to search all record types or alternatively you can select an individual record type. You can set the default record type for the Search section. For more information, see Setting Your Default Search Record Type.

If you search a single record type, the search results are displayed in a List page, and you can then work with the list of records. The number of fields (columns) displayed in the list is determined by the search layout that your company administrator has defined for your role and the record type. You can further refine the list using the list management features of Oracle CRM On Demand, and you can save search results as a new list. For more information about managing lists of records, see Working with Lists.

If you search all record types, a Search Results page is displayed with different sections for each type of record found in the search.

When you search using text-based search fields, the searches are case insensitive unless the text case-sensitive appears grayed out in the input field. The grayed-out text disappears when you click the field.

The Search section in the Action bar also contains a link to the Advanced Search page, which allows you to search several record types at once and to search using date fields. Advanced search also provides better filtering capabilities. For more information, see Using Advanced Search.

Oracle CRM On Demand supports two types of search: targeted search and keyword search. Your company administrator determines the type of search. In general, targeted search provides better query performance.

NOTE: For targeted search only, a Book selector might be displayed in the Search section in the Action bar. You can use the Book selector to narrow the search so that only the records belonging to a particular user book (typically referred to as a user) or custom book (typically referred to as a book) are searched. For more information, see Using the Book Selector.

About Targeted Search

If your company administrator selects targeted search as the default search type for your company, you see multiple search fields in the Search section of the Action bar. The fields that you see are determined by the record type selected in the record-type picklist and the search layouts that your company administrator sets up for each record type. Targeted search returns records where the values you specify in the search fields match the corresponding values in records of the record type that you selected. It displays only those records where a match is found for each of the values you entered, which is equivalent to using an AND condition between the search fields. If you leave a search field blank, that field is not considered in the search.

NOTE: You cannot specify a null value in a field in a search from the Action bar. To specify a null value, you must use Advanced Search. For more information, see Using Advanced Search.

About Wildcards in Targeted Search

By default, every search value entered in a targeted search field is appended with a wildcard or asterisk sign (*) so you do not need to append a wildcard to your search string. You can prefix your search values with a wildcard, or you can use a wildcard between the search values. You cannot use the wildcard in picklists where values are predetermined.

For example, in a targeted search of account records, the default search layout allows you to enter search strings for the Account Name field and the Location field. Both of these fields are case-insensitive. If you enter C in the Account Name field, and Head in the Location field, the targeted search expression is interpreted as follows:

Show all accounts where Account Name is like C* and Location is like Head*

The search returns all accounts where the account name starts with the letter C (uppercase and lowercase) and where the value in the Location field begins with the word Head (any mixture of uppercase and lowercase).

NOTE: Using the wildcard impacts search performance, and searches where a search value is prefixed with a wildcard are the slowest.

The use of wildcards is restricted when you search for exact matches as described in the following section.

Searching for Exact Matches

If you know the exact value in a field on the record you are searching, you can search for exact matches by prefixing the search string with an equal sign (=). When you prefix a search string with an equal sign, targeted search behaves as follows:

• A wildcard is not appended to the end of the search string.

  If the search field is a case-sensitive field, the search returns exact matches for the search string. If the search field is a case-insensitive field, the search returns matches including mixed-case matches.

  For example, if you enter =Acme as the search value in the Account Name field, the search returns all account records where the account name is Acme or ACME, or other mixed-case variations, because Account Name is a case-insensitive field. The search does not return any record where the account name contains the word Acme, but also contains other characters, for example, Acme Inc, Acme Incorporated, or Acme SuperStore.

• If you explicitly use a wildcard in the search string, the wildcard is treated as text.

  For example, assume that there are two account records with the account names Acme* and Acme Super Store. If you enter =Acme* in the Account Name search field, the search returns the record where the account name is Acme*. The search does not return the record where the account name is Acme Super Store.

• If the field value in a record starts with an equal sign, only the second equal sign that you enter in the search field is treated as part of the search string.

  For example, assume that there are two account records with the account names =Acme Super Store and Acme Super Store. If you enter ==Acme Super Store in the Account Name field, the search returns the record where the account name is =Acme Super Store. The search does not return the record where the account name is Acme Super Store.

The following restrictions apply to the use of the equal sign as a prefix:

• The prefixed equal sign is not supported for search fields of the Phone field type.
• You cannot prefix a value in a picklist search field with the equal sign.

About Keyword Search

If your company administrator selects keyword search as the search type for your company, you see only one search field in the Search section in the Action bar. A keyword search searches certain fields to find matches to the text that you enter in the search field. It displays all records where the text string you entered is found in any of the searched fields, which is equivalent to using an OR condition on the default fields.

For example, in a keyword search of service request records, the Service Number field and the Subject field are searched. If you enter the value 1234 in the search field in the Action bar, the records displayed include the following:

• All records where the value in the Service Number field includes the string 1234, such as service requests number 12345 and 01234.
• All records where the text in the Subject field includes the string 1234, such as Customer reported a problem with product number 1234.

Some record types do not support keyword search. For a list of the record types that support keyword search and for details about the fields that are searched for each record type in a keyword search, see Default Search Fields for Keyword Search.

The following procedure describes how to find a record using the Search section of the Action bar.

To find a record using the Search section

1. From any page, go to the Search section in the top left corner.
2. To search all record types or to narrow the search to just a single record type:
   1. From the drop-down list, select All (for a slower query) or a record type (for a faster query).
   2. Depending on your setup, you can enter the value to search for in either a single text field or in several text fields.
   3. Click Go.

      NOTE: When you select the All option in the drop-down list of record types, Custom Object 01, 02, and 03 record types are included in the search, but other Custom Object record types are not included.

      TIP: If a message appears indicating that your search request has timed out, you can use Advanced Search to refine your criteria further. For more information, see Using Advanced Search. You can also find more information about optimizing searches and lists on the Training and Support Web site. To access the Training and Support Web site, click the Training and Support link at the top of the Oracle CRM On Demand page.

3. Click the link in the record that you want to work on.

   This opens the Detail page for that record.

Finding a Record from the List Page

Use the following procedure to find records in a list page. For more information about finding records in a list page, see Filtering Lists.

To find a record in the List page

1. Click the tab for the type of record that you want to find.
2. On the record Homepage, select the filtered list that would include the record that you are trying to find.

   You can also go to the required list from the Favorite Lists section in the Action bar if it is available there.

3. On the List page, you can:
   • Use an Alpha Search to find the record.
   • Use a Quick Filter Search to find the record.
   • Click the navigation icons at the top or bottom of the list page to move to the next page, previous page, first page, or last page in the list.
4. Click the link in the record that you want to work on.

   The Detail page for that record is displayed.

Using the Lookup Window to Find Records

When entering record information, if you click the Lookup icon next to a field, a Lookup window appears in which you can search for and select records. In some cases, you can select only one record. In other cases, you can select multiple records. When you select a record, an association is automatically created with the main record that you are creating. In cases where you can select only one record, the association is a single association. In cases where you can select multiple records, the association is a multiple association. After you select a record, the name of the associated record is displayed in the field.

The appearance of the Lookup window depends on whether there is a single association or a multiple association. If there is a single association, one list of records is displayed and you can select a single record. If there is a multiple association, two lists are displayed, a list of available records and a list of selected records.

The appearance of the Lookup window also depends on whether keyword search or targeted search (the recommended search method) is enabled for your company:

• If keyword search is enabled. A single text field is displayed, and you can enter search criteria and press Enter, or click Go to refine the list of records.
• If targeted search is enabled. Quick Filter search fields are displayed to the right of the Show results where label. You can enter search criteria, and press Enter, or click Go to refine the list of records. An Advanced link and a Book selector are also displayed.

In the Lookup window, a Book selector might be displayed, which allows you to narrow the search to the records belonging to a particular user or book. For more information, see Using the Book Selector.

Depending on the record type, there might be an additional list in the top left-hand corner of the window. For example, in the Task Edit page, if you select a valid value in the Account field and you open the Lookup window for the Primary Contact field, there is a list with two values: Contacts for Related Account and All Contacts. When you click the Go button, the value you select in the drop-down list is used in refining the list of records.

To search for records using the Lookup window

1. Click the Lookup icon next to the field.
2. The Lookup window appears containing a list of the available records.

   In the Lookup window, you can:

   • If targeted search is enabled, use a Quick Filter Search to filter the list, see Filtering Lists.
   • If targeted search is enabled, click the Advanced link to filter the list, this is similar to Using Advanced Search.
   • For some record types, click New to create a new record, which will be added to the list.
   • Click the navigation icons at the top or bottom of the list page to move to the next page, previous page, first page, or last page in the list.
3. Click the Select link to select the records you require and click OK.

   In cases where you can select more than one record, click Select for each record that you require. The records are moved from the Available Records list to the Selected Records list.

   NOTE: In the Lookup window, click Clear Current Value to remove already-selected information and leave the field blank. The Clear Current Value button is not available if Smart Associations is turned on.