Product documentation

Using Search

Administrate's global search finds records across the system from the search box in the menu bar.

Contents

Overview

Administrate’s global search finds records across the system from the search box in the menu bar.

Search box in the menu

Tip:
Press Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar to open the search box from any page.

Accounts, Contacts, Templates, Documents, Events, Registrations, Bookings, Reports, and Achievements can be found by their numeric ID or API ID. These results appear under Matching IDs.

  • Accounts: name, email, billing email, phone, website, company registration number, VAT number, DUNS number, town or postcode (billing address too), and external or legacy import ID
  • Contacts: name, any of the contact’s email addresses, any phone number, job title, department, town or postcode, and external or legacy import ID
  • Templates: title or code
  • Events: title, code, or location and venue name, so agile edinburgh finds the Agile event in Edinburgh
  • Bookings: name or customer reference
  • Registrations: number, or the name of a learner on it
  • Achievements: identifier
  • Documents: name or description
  • Learning Paths: name, code, or description
  • Resources: name
  • Reports: name
  • Finance: sales invoices and credit notes by number, PO reference, or other reference; purchase invoices, orders, and credit notes by number; payments by reference

Custom fields marked as searchable are searched too, including on Companies, Stock Items, and Form Submissions.

How matching works

  • Word order doesn’t matter for names, titles, and descriptions: smith john finds John Smith. Every word you type must appear.
  • Other fields match the whole search term as typed, such as codes, references, emails, and addresses.
  • Phone numbers match by their digits, so 07700900412 finds 07700 900412.
  • Finance numbers match with or without their prefix: INV-0001 and 0001 find the same invoice.
  • Searching for an email address: a search containing @, but not starting with it, checks only contact and account email addresses that start with what you typed. A search starting with @, such as @example.com, uses normal matching.
  • Characters like % and _ are matched literally, so you can search for values that contain them.
  • Your search term needs at least three characters, unless it is a number.
  • Deleted records are not shown.
  • Search keeps up to 200 matches per type. A + after a count means the search reached that limit and more matches may exist. Permissions can lower the count you see. Refine your search to narrow it down.

The results page

  • The Entities list on the left shows each type with its match count. Select one to see only that type, or All to see everything. Finance documents and payments are grouped under Finance.
  • Your search and the selected type are part of the page address, so you can bookmark or share a result and it survives reloading and the browser’s back and forward buttons.
  • Cards can name and highlight a matching email, phone number, external ID, or PO reference that the card doesn’t otherwise show, where that value is available. Custom-field matches are listed too. Some searchable fields, such as DUNS number or legacy import ID, are never shown, so a record can match without saying why.
  • Selecting Contacts, Accounts, Templates, Events, Bookings, Resources, Learning Paths, Reports, or Form Submissions shows a table. Sort and filter its columns from the headers. A search table may show fewer columns than the matching list page.
  • If nothing matches, but records you don’t have permission to see do, the page says Records matching this search exist but may be hidden by your permissions.

Tips and best practices

Avoid duplicates: Always search before creating a new Account.

For example, check for variations such as Company Ltd and Company Limited.

If you are certain the account does not already exist, select Accounts in the Entities list, then Create Account. Create Account is also offered when a search finds nothing.