Search for Multiple Items

You can search for multiple items in the same search operation.

In the Advanced Search region of the Manage Items page, use the search operator In to search for a list of comma-separated item numbers. Use standard copy and paste to enter a list of items, then start a search and see results for all items in the list that are searchable.

Note: A forced deployment of extensible flexfields must be performed prior to using this feature.

Search Using the IN Operator

You can search for a comma-separated list of item numbers in the Item field of the Advanced Search region of the Manage Items page by using the In search operator.

To search for items using the In operator:

1. In the panel drawer of the Product Information Management work area, click the Tasks icon, then select Manage Items from the task panel.

2. In the Item field of the Advanced Search region of the Manage Items page, select the search operator In.

3. In the search field, enter the list of alphanumeric item numbers that you want to retrieve in your search. Separate each item number with a comma. You can copy and paste a list of numbers into the search field.

4. Click Search. The items are displayed in the Search Results list.

   The search only retrieves items identified by valid item numbers.

Keep these facts in mind about using the In operator:

• No matching or wildcard characters (such as % or * ) can be used in the search. This search is an exact-match search, equivalent to using the Equals operator.

• The search field can contain up to 1000 characters, counting commas, spaces, and newline characters.

• The search doesn't validate item numbers. If you enter an invalid number, no item for that number is retrieved.

• The search ignores duplicate item numbers.

• The search ignores empty entries between comma separators.

• Every item number in a search entry must be separated by a comma. Consequently, item numbers can contain spaces, but not commas.

• The set of retrieved items in the search results is subject to data security, and only includes items for which you have access.

Search Using a List of Item Numbers

You can search for a list of item numbers in the Search Multiple Items field of the Search panel of the task drawer. This search acts as a springboard into a search using the In operator.

To search for a list of items from the Search panel:

1. In the panel drawer of the Product Information Management work area, click the Search icon, then click Search Multiple Items.

2. In the Enter Item Numbers field, enter or paste the list of alphanumeric item numbers that you want to retrieve in your search. You can copy and paste the list of numbers from a text file, spreadsheet, or other document. You can resize the field to accommodate a long or wide list.

   If you enter the list of numbers on separate new lines, then it's not necessary to separate the numbers with commas.

3. Click Search. The items are displayed in the Search Results list on the Manage Items page.

   The list of items has been reformatted with the necessary comma separators and automatically entered in the Item field of the Advanced Search region, and the item search has been run, as if you had clicked Search yourself.

4. When you return to the Search panel, the Enter Item Numbers field retains the list of item numbers you entered, so you can reuse or modify the list.

   Click Clear to clear the number list, to enter a new list. The list is cleared when you end your session.

5. Click Search Single Item in the Search panel to return to using the quick search for a single item at a time, using indexed keyword matching of existing items.

   Multiple item search doesn't use keyword matching. You must specify exact matches for item numbers.

Note: See the list of facts to keep in mind about search using the In operator. A search that starts with Search Multiple Items behaves the same way.