Creating Searchable Fields

When creating custom fields in Application Composer, you can indicate if you want them to be searchable using the Searchable check box. In this context, searchable means available for selection on a list page from the Add Fields choice list in Advanced Search mode. For optimal performance, consider the below details when using the Searchable check box.

You can select the Searchable check box for all field types except for long text and formula fields.

When you create a custom field, this check box is selected by default. However, if you keep the Searchable check box selected for all custom fields for an object, then this could potentially degrade list page performance for that object, especially if the object has many custom fields.

Here's how list page performance can be negatively impacted:

• When a user navigates to a list page and expands the Advanced Search, the Add button displays the list of searchable attributes as a dropdown list.

  If a very large number of custom fields have the Searchable property set to true, then the performance of rendering the Advanced Search window can be impacted because it needs to populate all searchable attributes in the list.

• If a user keeps the Advanced Search in its expanded mode on a list page, then when the user searches for or drills into a record and then clicks Save and Close to return to the list page, the searchable attributes list will be rendered again.

Therefore, you can reduce the performance impact on a list page by reducing the number of searchable fields. To do this effectively, determine which fields your users will most often use to perform searches for the object. Then, when you create a custom field, deselect the Searchable check box unless it's one of those necessary search fields. This will reduce the performance impact of needing to populate the searchable attributes list whenever Advanced Search is used.