Search Definitions, Search Categories, and Search Keys

Search Definitions, Search Categories, and Search Keys are all part of the PeopleSoft Search Framework.

Search Definitions

Search definitions define the main structure of a search index. A search definition contains everything needed to create a search index, which includes facets, security, attachments, pre- and post-processing, and component mapping.

PeopleSoft Expenses has one search definition: EP_EX_REPORT – Expense Report Search.

Search Categories

Search categories contain one or more search definitions. Search categories are secured by role within PeopleTools security and reduce the number of indexes searched, which can improve search performance.

PeopleTools uses Permission List Security when performing component searches, which is based on the search definition for the component. If you don’t have access (through your permission list) to that component, then the system doesn’t display results when searching against the indexes built for the search definition.

PeopleSoft Expenses has one search category: EP_EX_REPORT – Expense Report.

Search Keys

Search keys are used to identify specific records in the table that is identified in the primary search query.

The primary search query for Expenses is the EX_SRCH_BASE query, which joins the expense report header and line tables.

Note:

The basic search that is delivered with PeopleSoft Expenses is based on SHEET_ID as the key. When using keyword search with Search Framework, the combination of SHEET_ID and LINE_NBR are used as the key. Therefore, the results of the delivered search in Expenses and a Search Framework are different.

These search keys affect the number of search results that appear when performing a traditional PeopleTools (real-time) search versus performing search. However, regardless of the number of results that appear for each type of search, when selecting a link in the Search Results section, the system takes you to the same page.

When performing a traditional (real-time) search, the system displays the search results by expense report. When you click the expense report link, the system takes you to that report.

When performing a search, the system displays the search results by line number. This means that if an expense report has three lines, then the system could display up to three lines in the search results section. When you click the expense line number link, the system takes you to the expense report of that line, not the specific line number. In other words, if an expense report has three lines and you see all three in the search results, then clicking any of the three lines will take you to the same expense report.