Contents of the Custom Search Dialog Box

Establish and save your custom searches on this dialog box. Many of the fields vary depending on the hub or application in which you are working.

This topic provides a general description of the options in all Custom Search dialog boxes. If there is additional information specific to custom searches for a given hub or application, that information will be available in the area of the help for that hub or application.

Contents

Field Description
Search Name If you want to save the custom search so you can use it again in the future, enter a name for it in Search Name.

If you do not want to save the search, do not enter a name.

+Save Options / +Hide Options toggle

When you add or edit a saved search, click +Save Options to specify who can use the search. Use the drop-down list and the Special Selections option on that list to select one or more of the following:

  • Myself: You can use the search. This option is automatically selected for all saved searches.
  • My Role: All users with your security role can use the search.
  • Everyone: All users can use the search.
  • Specific roles: Users with the specific security roles you select can use the search.

You can always save searches for your own use, but you save searches for other users if your security role is set up to allow that.

Also use +Save Options for a previously saved search to display the Edit Search Name option, to change the name of the search, or the Delete Search option, to remove the search.

To hide the save options, click +Hide Options.

Records

Select one of the standard filters provided for the hub or application in which you are working (for example, All, Active, or Mine).

Search fields

Use the other fields on the dialog box to enter search values to further restrict the list of records that the search returns.

If you select multiple fields for a custom search, those search criteria are joined by an implied AND. For example, if you set up a search for projects with the Status field set to Active and the Charge Type field set to Regular, the search returns only projects that have both the Active status AND the Regular charge type.

If you select multiple values for a single search field, those search criteria are joined by an implied OR. For example, if you set up a search for projects with both Brian Waters and Ann Johnson selected in the Project Manager search field, the search returns all projects that have either Brian Waters OR Ann Johnson as the project manager.

The following describe the types of search fields that may be available:
  • Date fields: Either enter a specific date range by selecting a beginning date, an ending date, or both, or select from a list of predefined time periods relative to the current date (Last Week, Last Month, Next 3 Months, and so on). Use the Specific Dates / Relative Dates toggle above each date field to select the date search option you want.
  • Drop-down fields: Select one or more values for the search. For example, when you are trying to locate projects, you could search for projects with any of three project types that you select in Project Type search field. You must select the values one at a time, but you can select as many as you want.
  • Number fields: Specify a range by entering a minimum value, maximum value, or both.
  • Currency fields: Specify a range by entering a minimum amount, maximum amount, or both.
  • Text fields: Enter one or more characters in the field to search for records that have a value in that field that contains those characters.
  • Memo fields: Enter one or more characters in the field to search for any records that have a value in that field that contains those characters.
  • Check boxes: Select Yes to search for records for which that check box is selected. Select No to search for records for which that check box is not selected. (Select the blank option if you do not want to include that check box as one of the search parameters.)
Search field operators
Most search fields have one or more of the following operator options that you select either from the operator drop-down list at the left end of the field or by clicking Special Selections on the drop-down list for the field itself:
  • Equals: Search for records that have a value in the field that exactly matches one of the values in the search field.
  • Not Equal: Search for records that have a value in the field that does not match any of the values in the search field.
  • Starts With / Contains: If you enter one character in the search field, search for records that have a value in that field that starts with that character. If you enter more than one character in the search field, search for any records that have a value in that field that contains those characters.
  • Is Empty: Search for all records for which the field is blank.
  • Is Not Empty: Search for all records for which the field is not blank.
  • Is Me: For employee fields, search for records that have you in that field. For example, to find projects for which you are the project manager, you could select the Is Me option for the Project Manager search field. (Use the Not Equal operator along with this one to do an "is not me" search.)
  • Is Mine: For full organization or organization level search fields, search for records for which the organization matches the organization to which you are assigned in the Employees hub. (Use the Not Equal operator along with this one to do an "is not mine" search.)
  • Is Active Company: For a full organization search field or organization 1 search field, search for records for which the organization 1 matches the current active company (the currently selected company). (Use the Not Equal operator along with this one to do an "is not the active company" search.)
+ Add Field

DPS provides a default set of fields on this dialog box. However, if you need to filter the search based on values in other fields, you can add them to the dialog box. To add a field, click + Add Field at the bottom of the dialog box and select the new search field in the field that displays.

You can also delete fields from the dialog box that you never expect to use. Search Name and Records are the only fields you cannot delete. To delete a field, hover over the field and click X to the right of the field name.

When you add or remove fields and click Save, Save As, or Apply, that new set of fields becomes the default set for any new searches you create. The changes do not affect the fields that are available when you edit an existing saved search that used a different set of fields.

x Clear All If you enter search parameters and then decide you want to clear all of them and start over, click x Clear All at the bottom of the dialog box. DPS removes entries from all fields except Search Name.
Save To save a new custom search with a search name, click Save.
Save As

To save an existing search with a new search name, click Save As.

This displays the Save As dialog box so you can enter a name for the search before you save it.

Apply To perform the search without saving it, click Apply. If the results are not what you want, display the search drop-down list, click Custom again, and make the necessary changes to the search parameters. Though you did not save the search, your latest search settings are preserved until you leave the DPS application that you are working in.