Perform Search Operations: Main Search Types

Use the following table as a quick reference about the main types of searches available in the Project.

For all search types, you review and select search settings that affect the results of your search (for example, Include Families and Include Metadata). Other search settings vary per search type.

You also select where to search, an available target you can select (using Select Target), or current results. For example, with the appropriate permissions, you can select from a list of available targets, such as search the entire Project Data, the data assigned to a Custodian, a Workflow Step, or a Folder you create. If you have the appropriate Data Set permissions, you can search a Data Set.

If you are in a current results view and want to search within that result view (instead of the original search target), you can select Current Results. When you select this option, the target box changes to show the current results (with the query and its associated target) and enables you to enter a query as a Freeform Search. For example, if you search for the term legal in Custodian Bob, you can click Current Results and type a query such as court and then search the results view, (legal) in Bob, instead of searching the Custodian Bob view again.

Search Type Use it for....
Freeform Running a query that you can supply without search syntax assistance.

Available Search Settings:

Include Families (enabled by default)
Include Metadata (enabled by default)
Generate Reports (disabled by default)

The expansion of synonyms is implicitly disabled for this Search.
Advanced Building powerful queries with a variety of search options, without having to know the details about the search syntax (such as a date format).

Available Search Settings:

Include Families (enabled by default)
Include Metadata (enabled by default)
Expand Synonyms (disabled by default)
Generate Report (disabled by default)
Bulk Running a set of Searches as part of one bulk query instead of executing searches individually. Any user can perform a bulk search by entering the set of queries or you can use an uploaded text file. For example, you may want to test the responsiveness of a known set of words or phrases.

This search also supports the ability to run the bulk queries as a Combined Search using an OR or AND operator, and a By Metadata Field option for fields such as docnum, filemd5, unid, entryid, dupe_fingerprint, dochandle, and messageid. Users with permissions can also upload a file from a Connector location.

Available Search Settings:

Include Families (enabled by default)
Include Metadata (enabled by default)
Expand Synonyms (disabled by default)
Generate Report (disabled by default)

About Selecting Settings for a Query Based Search

  • Keep the Include Families option enabled if you want to ensure that all available family members of a Message Attachment Group (MAG) or Document Attachment Group (DAG) are included in the results of the search operation.
  • Keep the Include Metadata option enabled if you want to expand the query from just content to include a set of metadata fields. You can select the Search Fields you want to have searched automatically. For information about the fields subject to metadata field expansion, which is enabled by default, see Using the Include Metadata Option.
  • Enable the Expand Synonyms option for an Advanced or Bulk Search if you want to include synonyms for all specified individual search terms when you submit your query. Note that Synonym Expansion works for information in the contents, title, subject, comment, or comments fields. It will not work for terms accompanied by ~ or other syntax used for special searches.
  • Enable the Generate Reports option if you want to have reports generated at the time of the search instead of waiting until the Reports tab is selected.