In our last blog, we got a quick overview of searches in NetSuite. Now it’s time to get into the weeds of searches, starting with simple searches in NetSuite. How do you create a simple search, what do you need to know about defining simple search filters, and what additional options are available to you on a simple search? Let’s check it out.
Creating a Simple Search
To create a simple search, navigate to the Reports dashboard and select New Search. Then, choose the record type you want to base the search on. For the sake of an example, we’ll choose Transaction. Once you select your desired record type, NetSuite will open either a simple search or an advanced search, depending on the last type of search you used on this record. If NetSuite does pull up the advanced search for Transaction, then clear the Use Advanced Search checkbox to switch to the simple search.
Defining Simple Search Filters
The filter options available on the simple search represent all the fields that are on your selected record type.
Each type of field has a specific way you can filter it. You’ll notice that some fields provide a blank text field where you can enter values, while other fields give you a list of options to select from. For each field, there are different ways you can filter the values you entered or the options you selected.
For example, under the Type field, notice that “any of” is automatically selected for you. If you want your search to pull results from certain types of transactions, use the CTRL key to select all the transactions you want the search to apply to. Alternatively, you could change the filter from “any of” to “none of.” Doing this would exclude any selected Transaction types from your search results.
Fields where you would enter values have even more filtering options. The default filter option is “Any,” but depending on the type of field you are filtering by, you could have options like “is,” “contains,” “equal to,” “less than,” and “between,” to name a few of the possible options. These filters help you to narrow down the results your search will return.
Some simple searches also have several date options that you can filter by. The three types of date options include a named period of time, a specific date range (where you would select actual dates), and a relative time frame. For more details on filtering by dates, see the Help Center article Tips for Defining Simple Search Filters.
Additional Simple Search Options
Once you have set all your filters on a simple search, then what? Here are some additional simple search options. Each of these options are represented by a button at the top of the simple search page.
Submit
Obviously, you can submit your simple search so you can view the results! When you submit the simple search, NetSuite will pull up your results in the list view. If you realize that you need to adjust anything with your search, you can keep editing the search by selecting the Return to Criteria button at the top of the page.
Export
Second, you could export the search results in order to view them outside of NetSuite. When you export the data, NetSuite will download a .csv file of the search results.
Personalize Search
Another option is to personalize the search. When you select the Personalize Search button, NetSuite will pull up a page where you can personalize the actual search form to include just the fields that you need. The standard NetSuite search forms for each record type include all the searchable fields on that record type, but you may not want to see every field when you pull up a new simple search for that record type. After tweaking the fields on the form, you can either return to your search by selecting Save or explore more form customization options by selecting More Options.
Create Saved Search
Finally, you could create a new saved search directly from the simple search. If this search is one that you would need to reuse, turning it into a saved search would be a good idea. When you select the Create Saved Search button, the saved search will include any of the filters you had already set on the simple search page.
Conclusion
Simple searches in NetSuite aren’t very complicated, but understanding them will help you to better grasp the inner workings of advanced searches and saved searches. In the next couple weeks, we’ll focus on each of those search types in NetSuite, so drop your email below if you’re interested in having new blog posts in our SuiteAnalytics series delivered right to your inbox each week.