Simple search

The Simple search screen is accessible from Search on the Main header bar, and provides the most commonly used tool for finding questions in your RefTracker system.  Most staff will find that they can find most things they need using this Simple Search screen.  To make it even easier to use, Simple search works similarly to the Open questions screens – it just has a few more selectable parameters to allow it to find questions in any status (not just open questions that are not on hold), and a few more features.

If you need to find a question by a specific attribute of the question, the Advanced Search screen might be more helpful, but there are a wide number of options for searching in the Simple screen.

Simple search provides the same parameters used by the Open questions screens, but, by default presumes that all questions are being searched, not just open questions that are not on hold.  Simple search therefore allows all its parameters to be changed, except if the System administrator locks the user into their own location by denying the “Ability to change operating location” Function for that user’s signon. And it adds the “Question state” parameter to allow exclusion of requests on hold, or those not on hold, and inclusion of Retires requests, when appropriate.

It presents the default parameters each time you select it (those that will retrieve everything – a browse), but remembers the parameters you used last time – just click the [Use last values] link in the top left to retrieve the parameters you used last time, so you can easily redo the last search you did.  To revert to the default parameters you can redisplay this screen from the Search menu list, or just use the [Use defaults] link near the top left of this screen.

Where the search is for words, or a phrase, the sort order will be by relevancy with most relevant at the top.

The system will remember the sort order you used last time and present in that order, and if there is no previous order or implied order, it will present in the order of open date, question no, target date (all descending). 

If a search is not providing the right sort order for you, use the column heading to sort it into the right order, and next time you use this screen (Simple, Advanced, Open questions by received date, etc.) it will use that same sort order.

This easy to use Simple screen will be enough for most searches, especially when you are searching for particular word/s used in a question, answer or client contact details, as it automatically searches across all text fields in those tables (and can be widened to include all text fields in all tables).

The Simple search screen is particularly useful for Supervisors to review the status of all recently arrived work.  Just hit Submit, using the default parameters, to see the current status of all questions in arrival order.

When a result is presented, you can refine your parameters for the search using the two rows of parameters that show at the top of the screen to indicate the parameters you just used.  When results are presented there is also an option to Export the search results to Excel, and an option to save the search parameters so it can be run again, with just a few clicks, or even scheduled to run automatically. Click here for more information about saving and scheduling searches, or read on for the section below.

See the details about how to use the common features of this screen, including the export functions, in the Open questions screen, as they work identically in regard to searching, other than that you can change all of the parameters in this Simple Search screen.

Additional features of this screen are:

• The database can be selected (KB, FAQ, work database (being those not in the KB or FAQ), or two of these or all of the (the entire database of records ever worked on in RefTracker and still save in it).
• The status can be selected – use this to find questions in specific statuses, such as just question in “Query to client” status).
• In the Location/staff drop down, only enabled staff show. If you need to find something done by previous staff (now disabled), go to the Advanced search screen where you can choose disabled staff in this parameter.
• When search results are showing, there is an option to save the search parameters used, so that the same search can be run with just a few clicks from Search>Saved searches; and optionally scheduled to be run automatically.

Finding a particular question number

If you want to find a particular question number, just enter its number in the white box in the Question action bar and hit enter – there is no need to search for it.

Browsing the most recently arrived questions using Simple Search

Supervisors wishing to review the status of all questions that have arrived since they last worked (last night, or on Friday night, for example) should display the Simple search screen and hit Search.  Doing that will display a list of all questions that have arrived into your system in the order in which they arrived (or were reopened), most recent first, showing the current status of each of those questions.  Just scan down the list for the period that you want to review and you can see how your staff are handling all those recently arrived questions – a good habit for Supervisors and allocator’s/triager’s to get into doing at the start of their shift!

Exporting search results

Do you want to further analyse the results of this search?  Take the data for these results out to an Excel spreadsheet by using the Export options in the top right of the screen (usually allowed by Functions settings for Regular users and above). 
The fields that display in Excel are the enabled Request fields, Answer fields, Request and Answer attachment links, and Bibliographic table fields for each record retrieved by the search.  It does not include calculated fields like “Minutes to close”.  Fields regarded as sensitive Requester contact details (like email address and phone number) are only provided to System administrators by default (to comply with privacy regulations).  There is a user signon Function that System administrators can use to change the permission level of users that can export this data, and separately, those that have the Requester contact details included in these exports.

Saving your search parameters for reuse or running automatically

Whenever you are seeing search results in the Simple search or Advanced search screen, the [Save this search] option appears in the top right of the screen.

When you click this link, a screen will display that allows you to give the parameters you used for this search a name so they can be reused.  Supervisors and above can even schedule the search to be automatically run at a specified frequency and the results emailed to you or any other email address/es you specify.

Your saved search will be able to be run from Search>Saved searches.  Scheduled searches are indicated in that menu list with an indication of their frequency in brackets e.g. (Wk) for weekly, but can also be run manually at any time.

For details of how to save searches using this option, and manage all your saved searches, see details at Saved searches.

System administrators can prevent staff from using this function by denying it in their user signon Functions tab (Deny “Saved Searches” in the Searching and reporting division).