Working with simple searches

When you perform simple queries while the metadata query engine is active, you need to specify search terms that are complete alphabetic or complete numeric values. For example, a simple query that contains the search term 2012 finds the object named Q1_2012.ppt. A simple query that contains the search term 12 does not find this object.

The metadata query engine treats strings of all-alphabetic characters and strings of all-numeric characters as search terms and treats all other characters as search term separators, both in the text you enter and in text being searched. Therefore, test123 is treated as two search terms, test and 123. Similarly, left-handed is treated as two separate search terms, left and handed. Therefore, an any search for test matches test123 and an any search for left matches left-handed.

For all searches, however, the metadata query engine:

• Treats special characters as search term separators. For example, the search string left-handed consists of two search terms, left and handed
• Treats any text that is not all-alphabetic or all numeric and does not contain spaces as a phrase. For example, the search string left-handed is treated as a phrase, as if it were surrounded by quotation marks.

As a result, the search string left-handed matches these strings:

left-handed
left handed

But does not match these strings:

handed left
left right handed

When you search for matching text while the Data Discovery Suite search facility is active, special characters, except the asterisk (*), question mark (?), and backslash (\), are treated as spaces both in search terms and in text being searched. The Data Discovery Suite search facility ignores leading and trailing spaces and special characters.

A search term can be any part or all of a directory path after rest or data (HCP namespaces) or fcfs_data (default namespace) with or without an object name. For example, these search terms will all return the coporate/HR/benefits_2 object:

corporate/HR
HR
HR/benefits_2
benefits_2

This search term, however, will not return the coporate/HR/benefits_2 object because it includes the rest directory:

rest/corporate/HR/benefits_2

Likewise, this search term will not return the coporate/HR/benefits_2 object because it includes the fcfs_data directory:

fcfs_data/corporate/HR/benefits_2

To search for any or all of two or more exact phrases, you use quoted terms in an any or all search; for example:

"executive officer" "wetland permit"

Here’s what a search like this returns:

• For an any search, all objects that contain a least one occurrence of the phrase executive officer or the phrase wetland permit
• For an all search, all objects that contain at least one occurrence of the phrase executive officer and at least one occurrence of the phrase wetland permit

Quotation marks are not meaningful in exact searches.

While the metadata query engine is active, you may want to use quoted terms to make your queries more precise.

The wildcard characters that you can use in search terms and the ways in which you can use them differ depending on the active search facility.

While the metadata query engine is active, you can use two wildcard characters:

• The question mark (?), which represents a single character
• The asterisk (*), which represents any number of consecutive printable characters, including none

With the metadata query engine, wildcard characters are valid at the end of a search term or within a search term. Wildcards are not valid at the beginning of a search term. That is, you cannot search for values that end with the text you specify. For example, the search terms in the first line below are valid; the one in the second line is not.

Valid: 201? Valid: S*day
Invalid: *day

You can use multiple wildcards in a search term. Two asterisks next to each other are treated as a single asterisk. Asterisks with characters between them are treated as separate wildcards. For example, the search term below matches the path /Conflicts.txt:

c**nflict*

Similarly, in an all query, the search term below matches any path with at least two directories preceding the object in the path:

/*/*/**

Two question marks next to each other are treated as separate wild cards. For example, the search term below does not match the path /Conflicts.txt:

c??nflict*

The question mark and asterisk characters do not function as wildcards when specified within double quotation marks (") or in an exact query.

Wildcards between text that the metadata query engine considers to be separate search terms are not valid. For example, the search string below does not match the path test1.txt because the wildcard is between an alphabetic character and a numeric character:

tes*1

While the Data Discovery Suite search facility is active, you can use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard character in a search term to represent any number of consecutive printable characters, including none. With the Data Discovery Suite search facility, the wildcard character is valid only at the end of a term. That is, you can search only for words that begin with the text you specify. For example, the search term on the first line below is valid; the terms on the second line are not.

Valid: 201*
Invalid: S*day Invalid: *day

You can use the wildcard character at the end of any or all of the terms in an any or all search. For an exact search, you can use a wildcard only if the term doesn’t include any embedded spaces. For example, the term below on the left is valid for an exact search; the one on the right is not.

Valid: principal* Invalid: principal exec*

You cannot use wildcards anywhere in quoted terms. Also, you cannot use a wildcard with a text string that has an underscore (_) anywhere in it.

You can create any and all searches that are more complex by using Boolean operations in the search criteria. To specify these operations, you use the plus and minus signs:

• A plus sign (+) prefixed to a search term means returned objects must contain that term.
• A minus sign (-) prefixed to a search term means returned objects cannot contain that term.

You can use plus signs and minus signs on multiple terms, with or without wildcards, and in any order. When used with a quoted term, the symbol comes before the opening quotation mark.

The table below describes how Boolean criteria work in any searches.

The table below describes how Boolean criteria work in all searches.

With the Data Discovery Suite search facility, if you specify a search term that’s similar to other words or phrases in the returned objects, the Search Console may suggest a different search by asking, Did you mean suggested-term? This question appears below your search specification. In it, suggested-term is a hyperlink you can click to reexecute the search with that term. For example, if you enter criteria as the term for your search, the Console may display:

The term the Search Console suggests may differ from the search term you specified in a variety of ways, including spelling and, for multiple words, phrasing.