More about searches

An option is available whereby Enterprise 6 can remember the code(s) of the last record looked at, and then use that code for what you do next. For example, if you are looking at a Company, then put it away and choose ‘View Diary’, the Company Code (or Contact Code if available) will be put in the Find (Quick search) window as a default if the Find Defaults option is on. This option only affects the Quick search window. The option is set globally on the General screen in Preferences and can be overridden for individual users using the File menu at the main splash screens.

When using any ‘View’ function, Enterprise 6 will usually list the records found after the search if more than one record is found. If, however, only one record is found, Enterprise 6 will go straight to the full page input layout to display the record, where it can be modified if required. This tendency can be counteracted by switching on this check box (which is on the General page of Preferences), in which case you will always be presented with the listing format, whether one or more records are found. This can be useful if you mostly use View to do just that rather than to actually modify data, since the speed of displaying a list is always greater than that of displaying the full entry screens. The option does also apply to the displaying of lists when using the View menu from within other layouts. Note that when viewing a list and double-clicking, you are always allowed to see (but not modify) the full screen version of a locked record (because it is in use by another process or user), whereas if you go straight to the full screen in this situation, you will not be able even to see the record.

The Quicksearch dialogue box can work in two ways. Each Quicksearch dialogue box has the capability to search on several fields. For example, the Quicksearch dialogue box in the ‘View Sales Ledger’ function can search by Invoice Number, Invoice Company Code and Name, Invoice Date, Contact Forename, Contact Surname, Forename and Surname in combination, Company Postcode and Company Telephone Number. Therefore entering a telephone number will find all Sales Ledger records belonging to the Company with that number. Each Quicksearch dialogue box displays which fields in its own file it can search in, and in which order.

The ‘View Sales Ledger’ Quicksearch window, therefore, asks you for the ‘Invoice Number, Company or Date to find’. The additional queries (Contact Name, Company Postcode and Telephone Number) are carried out on the Contacts and Companies file respectively. For example, entering a Postcode will cause Enterprise 6 to search in the Companies file for a Company with that Postcode, and then in the Sales Ledger file for records belonging to that Company, which are then listed. When you enter something in a Quicksearch dialogue, Enterprise 6 will search through the fields in the order displayed until it finds a match.

The usual default is for Enterprise 6 to stop searching once it finds something, whether or not it has searched each field listed. If you enter “HAM” when Viewing the Sales Ledger, for example, it is likely that Enterprise 6 will search in the Invoice Number field without finding a match, and then in the Invoice Company Code field and find some records to list (those belonging to Ham Supplies Limited, perhaps). The search will then stop before an attempt is made to search for Invoice Dates, Contact Names or Company Telephone Numbers or Postcodes that match “HAM”.

However, a Preference exists (‘All occurrences in Quicksearch’ on the General page) which, if switched on, will force Enterprise 6 to search each field listed, create a set for each field searched, then amalgamate the sets and display all records found. In the example, therefore, Sales Ledger records belonging to Contacts such as David Hamilton (ie Contacts whose Surnames begin with ‘Ham’) will be listed in addition to those belonging to Ham Supplies. If this Preference is switched on, you are much more likely to find a match using any search criteria. However, some of the records listed may only be related very distantly to the search criteria and this may cause some initial confusion, particularly when performing a search or the ‘@london@’ type described above.

This is another option set on the General page of Preferences which sets a general default for all users that can be overridden for the individual user using the File menu. If the check box is switched on, for all queries performed from the Quicksearch dialogue box on files that contain one or more reference to a Person, the data displayed will be limited to just those records that are applicable to the Current User. These files are Companies, Diary, Sales Orders, Jobs, Applicants, and Documents.

Where there is more than one Person field (for example Company has Sales Person and Taken By, Diary has Person and Originator) the search done is on either field - ie an or search. This feature is not intended as a security measure, just as a useful time-saver for larger users, so if the search would result in no data being found purely because of the Person search, the latter search is ignored. In other words, if you search for a particular Company, for example, whether or not you are the Sales Person for that Company, you will always find it, whereas if you search very generally (for example just typing V to find all Companies starting with V), the list will be reduced to just Companies starting with V with your initials as Sales Person or Taken By.

The feature only applies to queries performed from the Quicksearch dialogue, not those from the More Choices window.

The Quicksearch dialogue box supports pretyping. For example, selecting ‘View Companies’ and immediately typing “V <Return>” will bring you straight to a list of all Companies starting with V. In this situation, the Find window is not drawn, which will save system time in addition to the big saving made by the user in not waiting to type. Where Find Defaults are in operation, just typing <Return> means go straight to the default, while <Return> would list all records. When Find Defaults are switched off, just <Return> will bring up all records. <Command-A> is an alternative for listing all records, whatever the Find Defaults setting. <Tab> or <Enter> work as well as <Return>. <Command-M> can also be pretyped to miss out the Quicksearch dialogue box and go straight to the More Choices window. Therefore, for example, <Command-M>/ means go straight to the Companies More Choices window.

NB: typing “V <Return> <Return>” will find nothing, as Enterprise 6 will search for V Return. The maximum length of the pre-typing buffer is 20 characters.

In any file containing Company information, such as the Company file itself, Contacts, Diary, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Service Calls, and Sales and Purchase Ledgers, the Quicksearch window is more powerful than it initially appears.

In addition to the search criteria specified on the window, it can be used to search by Contact Forename, Contact Surname, Forename and Surname in combination, Company Postcode and Company Telephone Number.

For example, when using the View Sales Ledger function entering a telephone number will find all Sales Ledger records belonging to the Company with that number. Note that, in the Purchase Ledger alone, no Contact details are stored, so only the Telephone Number and Postcode can be used here.

This facility can also be used when entering a record with a Company Code field in that an appropriate Contact Name or Company Postcode or Telephone Number can be entered to the Company Code field in an attempt to link to the correct Company.

For example, when entering a Sales Order to a blank screen, the Postcode of the client can be typed in to the Company Code field and this will create the link to the appropriate Company. When Enterprise 6 queries for Forename and Surname in combination, it does so after having attempted queries for Surname and Forename individually. If All occurrences in Quicksearch is switched off, the combination search will not necessarily be performed. Although it is not a very fast search, its provision need not, therefore, significantly slow down search operations.

The mechanism of this search is as follows. If the first two queries on Surname alone and Forename alone fail to find anything, and if what you have typed contains either a space or a comma, then Enterprise 6 will search on Forename and Surname. For example, the following will all find Robert Jones (and some methods may well find other people too, of course): Robert Jones Robert J Jones, Robert Jones, R. Enterprise 6 is not fussy about the number of spaces after the comma, or between the names, but is fussy about spaces elsewhere. Note that text strings such as “Jo@, Robert” cannot be used to find all Roberts with a Surname starting with ‘Jo’. The effect of middle initials added to Forenames should also be realised - typing “Robert Jones” would not find someone in the database as ‘Robert R Jones’, whereas typing “Jones, Robert” would find him. Therefore, always type the bit you are more sure about first.