What makes a NetSuite saved search successful? A successful NetSuite saved search is one that takes full advantage of all the saved search elements that NetSuite provides and appropriately applies them. And so, in order to create and use a truly successful saved search, you need to fully understand all the elements that are available to you.
Defining a Custom Saved Search
While you can also edit existing searches and saved searches, to create an entirely new saved search you would navigate either to Reports > Saved Searches > All Saved Searches > New, or to Lists > Search > Saved Searches > New, and then select the record type that you want to create a saved search on. After you name this saved search, you are ready to define several key elements.
Criteria
First, you need to set the criteria for this search. The criteria are simply the boundaries of the search. You’ve already chosen the record type that this search will run on, and in the criteria tab you tell NetSuite which fields the search will focus on in those records. Once you choose a field under the Filter column, NetSuite will ask you to set a value for that field. Records in this record type that match the criteria you set here will be pulled up in saved searches.
One key criteria that you can filter by is the main line of transaction records. By default, when you run a saved search on a transaction record you will always get results both for the main line as well as all the line items. If you choose Main Line as one of your filters, then you can choose to have only the main line details show up in your search by selecting “yes,” or you can choose to have only the line item details show up in your search by selecting “no.”
Results
Once you have set the criteria, you determine how the results of the saved search will appear. For example, you can sort the results by different fields, in either ascending or descending order. You can also determine which columns will appear in the search and the order of those columns. Under the subtab Drill Down Fields, you can decide which fields you want viewers of your search to be able to see more detailed data on.
Highlighting
The highlighting tab is pretty self-explanatory. In any given saved search, the amount of results could be overwhelming. Even after setting the filters you want for the search, you may need to draw users’ attention to specific fields in the search results. Under the highlighting tab, you can set conditional highlighting, including everything from inserting a specific image, to changing the text or background color, to making the text bold.
Available Filters
Under the Available Filters tab, you decide how you want end users of the search to be able to filter through the results of the search. This is different from the filters you use to create the saved search in the first place. When you choose non-numeric fields as filters for the search, then you can also select the Show in Filter Region box, which causes that filter to appear in the filter region of the search. Users will then be able to dynamically sort and filter through a saved search.
Audience
When you create a saved search, you also get to decide who in the company will have access to it and what level of access they will have.
If you want this search to be available to all employees, you would select the “Public” box directly under the search ID field. But if the search needs to be more limited, then you can choose the specific audience under the Audience subtab. By default, a selected audience will just be able to view the search. If you want to grant full editing access, however, then select the checkbox Allow Audience to Edit.
Formulas
In both the Criteria and the Results subtabs, you can set specific formulas for your search. Formulas give you greater control over the data your search returns. To set a formula, you would need to select a filter (under Criteria) or a field (under Results) that is prefixed with “Formula.” Formulas can be based on date, text, or currency, to name a few.
After choosing the type of formula you need, you would set the exact values for your formula in the popup box.
To learn more about using formulas in saved searches and to see example formulas, check out this Help Center article.
Saved Search Preferences
Whether you’re creating saved searches or simply viewing them, setting your own search preferences allows you to view saved searches in the most beneficial way for you. You can find these preferences under the Search section of Home > Set Preferences > Analytics.
One preference that is especially important to consider is the checkbox Show List When Only One Result. By default, when there is only one result in a saved search NetSuite will pull up that record rather than showing the record in the list view. Turning on this preference, therefore, ensures that when there is only one result NetSuite will still pull up the result in the list view.
Conclusion
If you’re just starting to learn more about how a NetSuite saved search works, then reading about these key elements probably isn’t sufficient to give you the confidence you need with saved searches. The Help Center has a list of several saved search examples. For each of these examples, SuiteAnswers walks through the specific steps each specific type of search requires.
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