Configuring Search Pages

This chapter provides an overview of configurable search and discusses how to:

• Configure searches.

• Personalize the search page.

• Perform searches.

Understanding the Configurable Search

You can use the search configuration component to control the appearance and behavior of the search pages used in PeopleSoft CRM applications. Additionally, you can give your users the ability to personalize the appearance and behavior of specific search pages.

Because some PeopleSoft CRM applications have added application-specific logic to the configuration settings as well as elements and processing rules to specific areas of the search pages, you may not be able to control all aspects of a search page through the search configuration component.

This section discusses:

• Page configuration.

• Field configuration.

• Search personalization.

• Search result grid configuration.

• Business object (BO) searches on configurable search pages.

• Recent searches.

PeopleSoft delivers configurable search pages for all major transaction components.

Note. Business unit security does not work when the in operator is used. PeopleSoft CRM also does not support searching across setIDs and business units as these are very special fields. The business unit that you select on the search page drives most of the other values that you can view. For example, you can view certain values for case status based on the business unit that you select. If you use the in operator to select multiple business units, it only shows the case statuses for one of the business units. Generally speaking, you can't search for transactions across business units because the core architecture inherent in PeopleTools that is associated with business units and setIDs is not supported and is too complex to properly handle these situations.

Page Configuration

Using the pages that make up the search configuration component, you can control:

• User personalization options.

• Results grid initialization.

  When the user first accesses the page, these options determine whether the system will populate the grid with the user's most recently used search criteria, use the user's saved search information that is designated as their default, or not populate the grid at all.

• Search button position (top, bottom, or both).

• Search section collapse.

  This option determines whether the search area is collapsed or expanded when a user first accesses the page. You can also control whether the search area collapses automatically after the user performs a search.

• Advanced and basic lookup defaults.

  This option determines whether basic search, advanced search, or both are available to the user. If you make both available, you must designate one as the default.

• Dataset rules.

  You can use dataset rules to limit the data that a particular user can see. The dataset rules must be created before adding the dataset name to the Advanced Options page. Clicking the Edit Dataset Definition link takes you to the dataset setup pages.

• Application security.

  Use this option to enable application security and secure access of data and functions within transactions.

  See Understanding PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM Security.

• Informational line for the results grid.

• Component transfers (when only one search result is found).

• Maximum rows to show in the results grid.

• Update options.

  Use this option to give users the ability to edit data in the results grid.

• Search PeopleCode.

  This option gives developers the ability to secure result data by running a function or application class method against the rows of data returned in a search.

  Developers who are using extended classes can override the search code with Application Class IDs. The system executes this code last, before the search list is created.

• Message displays and system behavior when the user does not enter any search criteria.

• Field relationships.

  When a lookup field has a relationship with another field on the page (for example, Country and State), there should be a work record that includes the high order search field of the other field. In this example that would be Country.

• SQL search statements.

  This option is used to turn on technical programming details (SQL statements) that are displayed at the bottom of the page. Use this option in your development environment only for tuning purposes; it should not be exposed in a production environment.

Field Configuration

Using the pages that make up the search configuration component, you can control:

• Search fields (which ones to display on the search page).

• Field order.

• Field labels.

• Edit types (drop-down list box, translate table, yes/no, and so on).

• Edit table.

• Search field use (required, display only, hidden, show transfer button).

• Display options.

  This option controls whether the field is shown in the results grid.

• Prompt control fields.

  Use this option to specify the appropriate prompt field for business unit and setID search fields.

• Optional field-specific help messages.

  If implemented, the system displays an icon next to the field associated with the message.

• Operators.

  You can select the operators (begins with, in, and so on) that you want to make available for the field and then select the operator that you want to use as the default.

  Warning! Using the contains operator on a large database could degrade system performance. Therefore, PeopleSoft has decided not to deliver its applications with contains as a search operator. You can choose to enable this operator to broaden your search capability but you may want to test system performance before you release it to your user base.

Search Personalization

Based on how you set up the search page, users can personalize options on the search page. These options include:

• Search button position.

• Search defaults (either basic or advanced).

• Search section collapse.

  This option determines whether the search area is collapsed or expanded when a user first accesses the page. This option also determines whether the search area is collapsed or expanded after searching.

• Results grid initialization.

  When the user first accesses the page, these options determine whether the system will populate the grid with the user's most recently used search criteria, use the user's saved search information that is designated as their default, or not populate the grid at all.

• Search field selection.

  The user can decide which fields to display or hide on the search page.

Search Result Grid Configuration

The search configuration component enables you to hide some columns in the search results grid when the page initially appears and give users the ability to hide or show search result grid columns from their personalized search if they want.

BO Searches on Configurable Search Pages

When a user executes a search on a configurable search page using a field that searches the business object directory, the system produces the following results, depending on the operator that was used:

For example, if you execute a search on the Sender field on the Search Inbound Email page using the begins with operator, the system uses a like operator to find the person's name. The system ignores the BO_ID_CONTACT and ROLE_TYPE_ID_CNTCT values.

If you execute a search using the equals (=) operator, the system looks for an exact match of the BO_ID_CONTACT and ROLE_TYPE_ID fields. This means that if you want to search for a person without regard to the role with which they are associated, you must use the begins with operator, because the equals (=) operator matches the role as well as the contact.

Recent Searches

In addition to allowing users to save searches that they commonly perform, the search configuration component also enables the saving of a number of recently used search criteria that users can use in future transaction lookup.

When a user performs a search at runtime, the system automatically saves the search criteria and make this search available like a saved search that the user creates manually. Users in the system has their own lists of saved searches and recent searches.

To set up this feature, implementers configure the maximum number of recent searches allowed and the naming convention. The recommended number for displaying recent searches at runtime is 10. A system message appears if you enter a greater number. If this value is reset at a later time and it is smaller than the number of actual recent searches that any user has, the system automatically removes the extra searches of that user (the oldest goes first).

Note. If a user selects a recent search that has been removed from the database (possible if the user has multiple browsers open for the same transaction search page, and the search list is updated in one browser but not the rest), a system message appears and suggests that the user to refresh the browser to get the latest search list.

Implementers configure how recent searches are named. Two modes are available: simple and verbose. Using the simple mode, each recent search is named with its search values; using the verbose mode, each of them is named with search field and value pairs.

The system lists recent searches chronologically (followed by saved searches) and they are assigned with order number. For example, the newest search is prefixed with 1, the second newest search 2, and so on. Saved searches are ordered alphabetically. If a user performs a saved search at runtime, the saved search is also listed as the newest recent search at the top, prefixed with 1.

This feature is disabled by default.

See Also

Using Recent Searches

Configuring Searches

To configure searches, use the Configurable Search Setup (RB_FILTER_DEFN) component.

This section discusses how to:

• Set up search options.

• Set up advanced options.

• Set up search fields.

• Configure the search result grid.

Pages Used to Configure Searches

Setting Up Search Options

Access the Search Options page.

User Personalizations

Select the check boxes associated with the options that you want the end user to have when they access the search page. You can allow them to save their own search criteria, select which search fields they want to use from the list that you make available, and choose if the results grid should be populated with the most recently used data, with data from saved searches, or not all.

Results Grid Initialization

Use the options in this section to indicate to the system how the results grid should be initialized when a user first enters the search page. You can populate the grid with the user's most recently used search criteria, the user's default saved search, or not at all.

Search Button Position

Select where you want the search button to appear on the page.

Collapse the Search Section

Select one of the available options if you want to collapse the search section before or after a search.

Advanced/Basic Lookup

Select the lookup type that you want to use for the search page and then select which type you want the system to use for the default. For example, if you make the default Basic, and you are making both advanced and basic searches available, there will be link to the Advanced search page on the page displaying the fields associated with the basic search.

Setting Up Advanced Options

Access the Advanced Options page.

Is this Search Page secured by Dataset Rules?

Use dataset rules to limit the data that a particular user can see based on his or her role. Select Yes to enable searches based on dataset rules, enforcing data security. The system displays the Dataset Name field. Click No to disable this feature.

For example, you may have a need to define a dataset rule where an end user can select to see only those leads where he or she is the manager of the leads. In this example, you could select Leads, which creates a leads-as-manager search list from the RSFM_LE_MGR_VW view. These rules appear as check boxes at the bottom of the search page at runtime. In this example with the Search Leads page, there are check boxes that you select to see only leads that you create, leads of which you are the manager, and so on.

Note. If you are using the Leads dataset name for the RSF_LEADS_HOME_GRD component, PeopleSoft recommends that you do not select the When no rules found, allow user to see all results anyway check box . Selecting this check box will enable users to view all sales leads when you are trying to limit user access to leads that are not assigned to them.

Each rule uses a custom built view. You must create the dataset definition, along with the rules in that definition, before adding the dataset definition to the search options. Click the Edit Dataset Definition link to launch the Dataset page.

Is this search page used for Application Security?

Use this group box to specify if you want to restrict user access to search pages based on the application security that is in place for corresponding objects (for example, customers, accounts, or product catalogs).

See Understanding PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM Security.

Informational Line at Top of Results Grid - Record and Field Identifier

If you want to create an information line at the top of the results grid, select the appropriate record name and field name. For example, on a search page where you have sales leads, you may want to display the business unit associated with the results at the top of the results grid. In this case you would select RSF_LE_WRK as the record name and DESCR254 as the field name.

Recent Researches

Use this group box to enable and configure the recent search functionality on search pages. You specify the maximum number of recently used searches to display on the search page. This value is set to 10 by default. For performance reasons, the system recommends that no more than 10 recently used searches are displayed at runtime. Additionally, select how recent searches should be named, in the simple mode where the name contains search values that are used, or the verbose mode where the name includes both search fields and values that are used.

No Rows Found Field Name

Put the name of the field (and the record that the field belongs to) on the search page (for example, the field name in Application Designer) that contains the message "No Rows Found" when there are no matches for a search.

Transfer to Component When Exactly One Search Result Found

Use this group box to indicate the page to which you want to send the user when the system locates only one result. You can also indicate the mode in which you want the user to be after he or she is redirected to the new page.

BO Search Adapter Name

This group box displays to the BO search adapter definition that is specified for the configurable search page.

See Understanding the Business Object Search and Quick Create Process, Adding and Modifying BO Search and Quick Create Definitions.

Maximum Number of Rows to Show in the Results Grid

This group box enables you to set the maximum number of rows returned in a search list. This feature provides you with the flexibility to decide what the limit should be for each search page. For example, you can set faster (smaller) components to allow a higher number of rows returned than larger, more complicated components.

Select Show More Rows Found Help Text if you want to display a help message when the number of results in a search list exceeds the maximum number of rows allowed.

You can then select an existing informational message from the message catalog stating that the user has exceeded the maximum number of rows.

Update Option

This group box enables you to select a component interface name so that users can make and save changes to data in the results grid on the search page. The component interface validates all of the business rules for the underlying component.

For example, the leads view includes eight distribution rules. If there is a modification to the underlying component, these eight distribution rules must reflect those changes.

The Errors Handling for CI section defines how the search list behaves when an error is encountered. The Component Interface Name field is a lookup field that enables the administrator or developer to select the component to apply error handling.

There are four options:

• App Class to Handle Error (application class to handle error).

  Select this option if you want to call your own error routine in the base application class.

• Show Errors and Stop.

  Select this option to show the first error and prevent the user from proceeding with the action.

• Show Errors and Proceed.

  Select this option to show the error but enable the user to proceed with the action.

• No Error Handling.

  Select this option to enable the user to ignore the error and proceed with the action.

Custom Class for Extending the Base Class

This group box enables a developer, who is using extended classes, to override the search code. In general the application class is the last code that is executed before the system creates the search list. You can override any public method in the FilterForm class, regardless of what time the code executes.

Select the custom application class from the Application Class ID lookup field and set the Application Class Path to ensure that the code is properly executed.

For example, you could use the FilterForm class to show results when the user is manager on the lead.

When No Search Criteria Input

Use this group box to indicate to the system what you want it to do when the user does not enter any search criteria. If you select Show error message, No search, you can select a message from the message catalog to display to the users.

Sort the Search Results by

Use this group box to select how you want the system to sort the search results. In the Asc/Desc field, you can select to sort results in ascending (low to high) or a descending (high to low) order.

Work Record for Cascading Keys

Use this group box to create relationships between fields that you are using on your search page. For example, because the Country field determines which states are valid, you would create a work record using the Country field, select it from the Record Name field in this group box, and then enter it onto the search page. Enter all fields into the work record that are high-order keys of the other search field on the search page.

Partner Installation Field

If PRM (Partner Relationship Management) is licensed, select the installation field for the specific PRM application that you want the system to validate when it needs to check for PRM licensing.

Show the Search SQL Statement

Select Yes to allow the viewing of SQL text for each search performed. This option is used mainly for debugging purposes. It should not be enabled in production environments.

System Data

This section is used to indicate that the data is to be delivered as system data and under which market. As long as you select PeopleSoft as the owner of the original system data, your data will be properly migrated to the new database during upgrade, allowing the functionality of the feature to work correctly. Please note, however, that if you select Customer as the owner, the customer has the responsibility to migrate the data during upgrades.

The Owner field also has PeopleSoft/Customer Modified as a value. Select this field if the system data that was originally delivered when you first installed the application has been modified by the customer. Selecting this value has no affect on the upgrade and the data will be migrated correctly on the upgraded database

Setting Up Search Fields

Access the Search Fields page.

Search Fields

Use this group box to add or delete the fields that you want to appear on the search page.

Search Field Detail

Use this group box to control the order in which you want the fields to appear on the search page. You can also select the label that you want to use, the edit type, and the edit table, if appropriate.

In addition to using fields from records as search fields, you can also set up profile fields as search fields to search for business objects (for example, company, partner, and person), or transactions where business objects are available. For example, you can find a list of consumers whose household income exceeds a hundred thousand dollars, where household income is a profile field. Similarly, you can find a list sales leads in the system that have a company revenue (a profile field) of over five million dollars.

Profile fields are created originally in PeopleSoft Online Marketing for marketers to define and collect customer information. You can configure the system to associate profile fields with business objects , and be able to view and edit profile field values for them directly in the CRM system.

See Understanding Profiles, Using PeopleSoft Telemarketing.

BO Search Options

This group box appears only if the edit type of the search field is BO Search.

Use this group box to control the way that the system searches for business objects and roles. Select the business object and role type that you want the system to search on, and specify the search definition (defined using the Search component under Set Up CRM, Common Definition, Customer, BO Search, Search) and search definition field.

Field Search & Display Options

Use this group box to indicate to the system how you want to use the field in the search display. If you make it a searchable field, specify whether:

• It is a required field on the search page.

• It is a read-only field and you cannot edit its value.

• It is a hidden field.

• A transfer button needs to appear next to the search field so that users can access search field value in its corresponding component.

  For example, if the search field is Case ID and the value is 123, clicking the transfer button brings users to the case 123 in the Case component.

• It is an alternate character field.

• It is hidden automatically if you have not licensed Partner Relationship Management.

• It is hidden if the user who accesses the search page has the role of partner.

You can also choose whether the field should appear in the basic or the advanced lookup.

Warning! To help improve system performance, PeopleSoft recommends that you make one or more fields required for the Case Search page.

Prompt Control Fields

The Set Control Field field is used for situations when a lookup table is set up for data partitioning. For example, you may use the business unit as a set control field for a technical support role that is setup for both the east coast and the west coast.

Static Text to Appear on a line below the Search Field

Use this group box to select the message that you want to appear on the line below the search field. Click the View link to look at the message you selected.

Help Message

Use this group box to select the message that you want to appear when the user clicks the Help icon next to the field. Click the View link to look at the message you selected.

Operators

Select all of the operators that you want to make available to the user for the field that you have displayed. You must also select one operator that you want to use as the default when the user accesses the page.

System Data

This section is used to indicate that the data is to be delivered as system data and under which market. As long as you select PeopleSoft as the owner of the original system data, your data will be properly migrated to the new database during upgrade, allowing the functionality of the feature to work correctly.

Please note, however, that if you select Customer as the owner, the customer has the responsibility to migrate the data during upgrades. The Owner field also has PeopleSoft/Customer Modified as a value. Select this field if the system data that was originally delivered when you first installed the application has been modified by the customer. Selecting this value has no affect on the upgrade and the data will be migrated correctly on the upgraded database

Configuring the Search Result Grid

Access the Results Fields page.

This page shows instructional text about how to take advantage of this functionality to modify the presentation the search result grid.

Personalizing the Search Page

This section provides an overview of the search personalization process and discusses how to personalize the search page.

Understanding Search Personalization

Based on how the system administrator set up the search page, users can personalize options. These options include:

• Changing the search button position.

• Search defaults (either basic or advanced).

• Search section collapse.

• Results grid initialization.

• Search field selection.

Page Used to Personalize the Search Page

Personalizing the Search Page

Access the Personalize Search Settings page.

Search Button Position

Select where you want the search button to appear on the page.

Advanced/Basic Lookup

Select the lookup type that you want to use for the search page to load if search definition does not exist already. Options are Advanced Lookup and Basic Lookup. If you select Advanced Lookup, the Basic Search link appears on the search page at runtime for you to perform basic search. Alternatively, the Advanced Search link appears if you select Basic Lookup.

Collapse the Search Section?

Results Grid Initialization

Use the options in this section to indicate to the system how the results grid should be initialized when you first enter the search page. You can populate the grid with your most recently used search criteria, a saved search, or not at all. This group box appears if the Allow the user to choose how the Results Grid is Initialized field is selected on the Search Options page.

Note. Mobile users should select Populate the grid automatically, apply my default saved search option and select Leads as Owner for their default saved search. This will give them the latest list of leads that have come in whenever they log in to the system.

Select Search Fields to Display

Select all of the search fields that you want the system to display on the search page. This group box appears if the Allow user to personalize available search fields field is selected on the Search Options page.

Select Search Result Columns to Display

Select the columns available from the list to be displayed on the search result grid as the search completes. This group box appears if the Allow user to personalize available search fields field is selected on the Search Options page.

Performing Searches

This section discusses how to:

• Define search criteria.

• Work with search results.

• Use saved searches.

• Use recent searches.

Pages Used to Perform Searches

Defining Search Criteria

You can perform Boolean searches using field-level search criteria. You are not limited to natural language searches. The system displays a list of the searchable fields. For each field, you can enter a search operator and the search text. You can also decide whether to limit the results to records that meet all field-level criteria or whether to accept records that meet any field-level search specification.

Important! For Sybase only: When performing a search on a configurable search page, you must limit the number of search criteria (which includes search on field values and search by dataset rules in the Show in Results section) to 16 or fewer. The system displays an error and stops the search if the SQL statement that is built to execute the search contains more than 16 subqueries.

The following table describes the search operators that are available for field-level searching. The operators that appear depend on whether the field being searched is a string or a number:

Note. Because the system stores time in milliseconds, PeopleSoft recommends that you do not use the equals (=) operator to do searches on Time fields. Use the between or greater than (>) operators instead.

Working with Search Results

After you initiate a search, some search pages allow you to edit the results. In these situations the page will have an Edit Data button. Clicking the Edit Data button makes some of the fields that appear in search results grid editable. The only fields that are not editable are the key fields.

The system applies the edits that you make to the database. The changes that you make to the search results grid are then reflected on the appropriate detail page for the component.

For example, a user can edit information from the lead list in PeopleSoft Sales. This allows for quick updates from a lead list without drilling back to the detail level.

For search-related pages that do not allow editing, you must click one of the link elements in the search results grid to view or edit data.

Using Saved Searches

The system maintains separate lists of saved searches for each user. The system saves searches under your user ID. This enables you to save and reuse your search criteria. This feature is available if the Allow user to save search criteria field is selected on the Search Options page.

The behavior of the saved search depends on the preferences you set for the search page. If you select the Populate the grid automatically, apply the most recently used criteria option on the Personalize Search Settings page, the system performs the search immediately with the last search criteria you used.

If you select the Populate the grid automatically, apply my default saved search option, the system uses the search you designated as your default to perform the search.

You can modify the criteria before performing the search. Search criteria that uniquely identifies a row of data takes you directly to a page. Therefore, you can view, modify, or delete a saved search that uniquely identifies a row of data only if you do not use an automatic search option.

If PeopleSoft Marketing is licensed, you can set up the system to create audiences using saved search.

Important! Do not include the semicolon (;) and pipe (|) characters in a free form search field when you save search criteria. These are special characters that have dedicated usage in the CRM system.

See Also

Defining Audience Information

Using Recent Searches

Similar to saved searches, the system keeps a list of recent searches for each user. Recent searches are shown in the Used Saved Search field on search pages at runtime, followed by saved searches.

This example displays a runtime search page that has both recent and saved searches.

Due to limited field length, the system uses symbols to represent search operators when recent searches are displayed in verbose mode. If the name string exceeds 50 characters, it will be truncated.

This table shows the mapping of search operators and symbols that represent them.

See Also

Recent Searches