Information Search

This chapter describes how to use the Search Toolbar to perform basic search, advanced find, smart answer search, and Oracle Secure Enterprise Search operations. It includes the following topics:

About Search Functionality

You can perform a text search across multiple components, fields, and files, in one operation using the Search Toolbar, which is located on the application toolbar. A search operation allows a broad search by not requiring you to specify specific fields to search on. In contrast, you use a query (see About Queries) to locate one or more records that meet specified criteria. Search operations are case insensitive, and you can use boolean operators to create a more precise query.

Note: Drilldown from Find is not supported for multiple results. Only a single result is supported for drilldown.

You can perform search operations on indexed data sources using Search. The Search Toolbar displays Advanced Find and OSES Advanced Search categories.

For Advanced Find, a drop down list of categories to search against appears.
For OSES Advanced Search, the Look In field displays the business components that have been indexed for the Search Definition.

The search categories map to individual business components. Multiple search categories can be grouped into logical collections, to enable a single search to be executed against multiple search categories.

The Look In field is preconfigured with different search categories, depending on the application. For a list of preconfigured search objects provided for each application, see Siebel Search Administration Guide.

Administrators can configure the search categories in the Search Definition view of the Search Administration UI. Users can perform queries against business component records from anywhere in their application.

Search provides the following functionality:

Single Term Search. A search operation on a single search term. The search term must contain more than one character. Oracle Secure Enterprise Search does not support single character searches.
Multiple Term Search. A search operation on a multiple search terms. The implicit Search Term Separator is AND. For example, if you enter the text performance tuning, it is executed as performance AND tuning. Only results that contain all search terms are returned.
Phrase Search. A search operation on a phrase. The phrase must be entered in quotation marks.
Wildcard Search. A wildcard search operation using the asterisk wildcard operator. You use the wildcard character either to represent a single character, or a sequence of characters. For example, searching for the string Ora* finds documents that contain all words beginning with Ora such as Oracle and Orator. You can also insert an asterisk in the middle of a word. For example, searching for the string A*e finds documents that contain words such as Apple and Ape.
Special Character Search. This search operation retrieves special characters other than those facilitated by wildcard searches. For example, if you search for the term on?line, the search returns matches to on line, on-line, on;line and on.line.
Searching Logical Collections. Users can choose from several categories listed in the Look In list against which they can search. Multiple search categories can be grouped in a single logical collection, for simultaneous searching.
Logical collections are defined by the administrator in the Search Indices Parent Category View of the Search Administration UI. For information on defining logical collections, see the topic about Creating a Logical Collection in Siebel Search Administration Guide.
Automated Suggested Keywords. The automated suggested keywords feature displays alternate search queries that are based on related keywords. The automated suggested keywords are displayed in the form of a Did you mean: [Suggested Keyword(s)] message. This automated message is useful for fixing common errors in search queries, for example, entering Orcle instead of Oracle. Also, synonyms can provide more relevant results, for example, cellular phones for cell phones. Alternate keywords can also be used for product code names, acronyms, and abbreviations.
Smart Answer Integration. The Search Center supports integration with the Smart Answer knowledge base for manual or automated searches. For information on configuring and using Smart Answer, see Siebel Smart Answer Guide.
Computer Telephony Integration. The Search Center supports Computer Telephony Integration for automated searches. For information on using Computer Telephony Integration, see Siebel CTI Administration Guide.

Performing a Basic Search

Basic search searches every field in every business component across all search engines configured for Search (for example: Find, Oracle Secure Enterprise Search, and any other third-party search engine configured). Basic search allows you to perform full text searches using simple or compound (boolean) operators. Using boolean operators, you can create a more precise query.

To perform a basic search

Do one of the following as required:

In the Search Toolbar, type in your search criteria in the single text field and then press Enter.
In the Search Toolbar, click in the empty single text field, and then select a search that you recently performed.
When you click in the empty single text field in the Search Toolbar, a list of the last five searches that you performed appears.
In the Search Toolbar, type in your search criteria in the single text field and then select one of the auto suggestions to search within a selected category.
This option requires that the auto suggest feature is enabled for your application’s search engine. For more information about enabling the auto suggest feature, see Siebel Search Administration Guide.

If search operators are supported by your search engine then in the Search Toolbar, type in your search criteria in the single text field including the search operator and press Enter.

The following table describes some search operators that may be supported by your search engine. These operators are supported by Oracle Secure Enterprise Search. For more information about operators, see the following topics:

Operator	Function	Syntax and Description
* (asterisk)	Wildcard	Placed after a string, returns items containing the string, or containing the string plus any additional characters at the position at which it appears, up to (or beginning with) a space. For example, searching for the string `Ora*` returns all words beginning with Ora, such as Oracle and Orator.
AND & (ambersand)	Boolean AND	Placed between search terms, returns only records and documents containing both terms. For example, searching for `Oracle AND Siebel` returns only records and documents containing both terms.
OR \| (vertical bar)	Booleen OR	Placed between search terms, returns records and documents containing either term or both terms. For example, searching for `Oracle OR Siebel` returns only records and documents containing one or both terms.
- (hyphen) NOT	Exclusion	Placed before search terms, returns only records and documents that do not contain the search term. For example, searching for `Oracle -Siebel` returns only records and documents that contain the word Oracle and that do not contain the word Siebel.
" " (double quotation marks)	Phrase Search	Surrounds a string that, unless modified by a wildcard, must be matched exactly. Allows searching for groups of words in their exact order. For example, searching for `“Oracle Secure Enterprise Search”` returns only records and documents that contain the entire phrase Oracle Secure Enterprise Search.

In the Search Results view:
- Click the arrow beside a result to expand and show a summary of the search result. Click the arrow beside a result to hide the summary again.
- Click a hyperlink to drill down to the selected record.
- Click the tab for each search engine configured to show the search results for that search engine. Results appear by default in the Search Results view.
- If no results are returned, then a message similar to the following appears: Your search did not match any results.

Note: Sorting is applied to the search results that appear in the results view rather than the entire result set. For third-party search engines, the Search Web Service receives SortField and SortOrder hints from Siebel, which indicates that the search results must be sorted. The Web service issues the appropriate commands to the search engine. The search engine sends results based on the SortField and SortOrder values.

Performing an Advanced Find

Advanced Find supports real-time database queries on a field-by-field basis.

To perform an advanced find

Select Advanced Find from the drop-down list next to the Search Toolbar, and then click Find.
A drop-down list of categories to search against appears. If a drop-down list does not appear, then the auto suggest feature is not enabled for your application’s search engine. For more information about enabling the auto suggest feature for your search engine, see Siebel Search Administration Guide.
Select the category you want to search against.
(Optional) Click Reset to clear the fields of the search criteria from the last find operation.
Reset clears the search criteria from the UI, but retains the search criteria in the cache.
Enter your search criteria in the fields for the selected category.
The search criteria for that category is saved until the next find operation.
Click Find to view the search results in the Search Results view.
In the Search Results view:
- Click the arrow beside a result to expand and show a summary of the search result. Click the arrow beside a result to hide the summary again.
- Click a hyperlink to drill down to the selected record.
- Click the tab for each search engine configured to show the search results for that search engine. Results appear by default in the Search Results view.
- If no results are returned, then a message similar to the following appears: Your search did not match any results.

Performing a Smart Answer Search

The Search Center supports integration with the Smart Answer knowledge base for manual or automated searches. For information on configuring and using Smart Answer, see Siebel Smart Answer Guide.

To perform a Smart Answer search

Select Advanced Find from the drop-down list next to the Search Toolbar, and then click Find.
A drop-down list of categories to search against appears.
Select the Smart Answer category you want to search against.
Options include the following: Smart Answer, Smart Answer Service Request
Enter your search criteria in the Question text box, including the search operator.
The table in Performing a Basic Search describes the supported search operators.
Click Find to view the search results in the Search Results view.
In the Search Results view:
- Click the arrow beside a result to expand and show a summary of the search result. Click the arrow beside a result to hide the summary again.
- Click a hyperlink to drill down to the selected record.
- Click the tab for each search engine configured to show the search results for that search engine. Results appear by default in the Search Results view.
- If no results are returned, then a message similar to the following appears: Your search did not match any results.

Performing a Smart Answer Search from Service Requests

The Search Center supports integration with the Smart Answer knowledge base for manual or automated searches. For information on configuring and using Smart Answer, see Siebel Smart Answer Guide.

To perform a Smart Answer search from a service request

Navigate to the Service screen, then the All Service Requests view.
Query for the service request that you want, and then click Go.
The service request details are returned.
From the service request applet, click Smart Answer to execute a smart answer search from the service request.
In the Search Results view:
- Click the arrow beside a result to expand and show a summary of the search result. Click the arrow beside a result to hide the summary again.
- Click a hyperlink to drill down to the selected record.
- Click the tab for each search engine configured to show the search results for that search engine. Results appear by default in the Search Results view.
- If no results are returned, then a message similar to the following appears: Your search did not match any results.

Performing an Advanced Oracle Secure Enterprise Search Operation

Advanced Oracle Secure Enterprise Search is enabled when a search engine has been configured and set as the default. For more information, see the topic about Activating the Search Engine for Oracle Secure Enterprise Search in Siebel Search Administration Guide.

To perform an advanced OSES search operation

Select Advanced OSES from the drop-down list next to the Search Toolbar, and enter your search criteria.

The following table describes the Advanced Search options.

Option	Description
All these words	This option performs a Boolean AND search operation. This option returns only records and documents containing all search terms. For example, inputting `Oracle Siebel` returns only records and documents containing both Oracle and Siebel.
Any of these words	This option performs a Boolean OR search operation. This option returns records and documents containing one or more of the search terms entered. For example, inputting `Oracle Siebel` returns records and documents containing Oracle, or Siebel, or both.
Exact phrase	This option returns records and documents that exactly match the entered phrase. For example, searching for `Oracle Secure Enterprise Search` returns only records and documents that contain the entire phrase. Quotation marks are not supported for this field.
Exact phrase & All of these words	This option returns records and documents that either exactly match the entered phrase or that contain all the search terms. For example, inputting `Oracle Secure Enterprise Search` returns records and documents that either contain the entire phrase or that contain (all the search terms) Oracle, Secure, Enterprise, and Search.
None of these words	This option returns only records and documents that do not contain the search term. Quotation marks are not supported for this field.
Look In	Displays the business components that have been indexed for the Search Definition. Select the business component or components to include in the advanced search operation.
Data Source	You can choose to retrieve your search results from multiple data sources. This feature is available if external data sources have been enabled, for example, a File System Connector or a Web Crawler Connector. For information on enabling a File System Connector and a Web Crawler Connector, see Siebel Search Administration Guide.
File Format	This option provides the ability to search by file format. The files are processed by MIME type for this search operation. The search can be filtered by the following file types: All HTML Microsoft Excel Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word PDF Plain text Rich Text Format

Click Advanced Search to view the search results in the Search Results view.
In the Search Results view:
- Click the arrow beside a result to expand and show a summary of the search result. Click the arrow beside a result to hide the summary again.
- Click a hyperlink to drill down to the selected record.
- If no results are returned, then a message similar to the following appears: Your search did not match any results.

Modifying Search Settings for Oracle Secure Enterprise Search

The following procedure shows you how to modify the search settings for Oracle Secure Enterprise Search.

To modify the search settings for Oracle Secure Enterprise Search

Select Search Settings in the Search Toolbar and modify the settings as required

The following table describes the settings that you can modify.

Setting	Description
Default Sort	Use the following options to sort the results: Data Source. The results can be sorted by individual business component, for example, Service Request or Account, or by external data source, for example by File System or Web Crawler. Date. The date that the document was last modified. Relevance. The relevance ranking is determined by Oracle Secure Enterprise Search algorithms and is based on variables such as proximity and frequency. Result Type. The result data type, for example, a database record or a PDF document.
Language	Select a language to search for keywords in that specific language. English is the default search language.
Fetch Language Specific Docs	Select this option to exclude search result records that are not in the selected language.

Setting

Description

Default Sort

Use the following options to sort the results:

Data Source. The results can be sorted by individual business component, for example, Service Request or Account, or by external data source, for example by File System or Web Crawler.
Date. The date that the document was last modified.
Relevance. The relevance ranking is determined by Oracle Secure Enterprise Search algorithms and is based on variables such as proximity and frequency.
Result Type. The result data type, for example, a database record or a PDF document.

Language

Select a language to search for keywords in that specific language. English is the default search language.

Fetch Language Specific Docs

Select this option to exclude search result records that are not in the selected language.