Advanced Search allows you to construct sophisticated search requests using any combination of words, phrases and keywords. Words and phrases are the terms you want to find, and keywords are reserved terms representing Boolean logic, filters and qualifiers. Boolean logic is a system of logical operations that defines the rules used to find matching elements in your data. Filters and qualifiers help narrow your search results.
The English mathematician George Boole invented Boolean logic in the middle 19th century. By definition, Boolean logic produces results that are true or false. In a Complex Search request, you apply Boolean logic by combining operands and operators in an algebraic structure. Operands are the words and phrases you want to find, and operators are the keywords that perform Boolean operations. For example, alpha AND beta is an algebraic structure that produces a Boolean result. The result is true if both alpha and beta are true, otherwise the result is false. If this were a search request, items are included in the search results if any of their data elements contain both alpha and beta. In other words, if it is true that a data element contains alpha, and it is true that the same data element contains beta, then the algebraic structure is also true, and the item associated with the data element is included in the search results.
Operator precedence defines the order in which operators are evaluated in the absence of parentheses. Complex Search evaluates operators in this order: NOT, AND, OR. In other words, Complex Search evaluates NOT operators before AND operators, and AND operators before OR operators. For example, alpha AND beta OR kappa includes items with alpha and beta, plus items with kappa. Another way to enter this search is (alpha AND beta) or kappa. Parentheses can be used to clarify your intentions or to override the default operator precedence. Entering the search alpha and (beta or kappa) yields a different result. This search includes items with either beta or kappa, and alpha.
Filters are reserved keywords that reduce, or narrow, your search results. They allow you to find items based on data element characteristics. For example, you can find items that have attachments or notes or flags. Or, you can find just faxes and contacts. Filters can be combined with other filters, words, phrases, Boolean logic and qualifiers to narrow a search to find exactly the items you want.
Like filters, qualifiers are reserved keywords that reduce, or narrow, your search results. They allow you to find items by matching text in specific data elements. For example, you can find items with contract in the Subject field. Or, you can find items with bob.jones in the From field. Each qualifier acts on an individual word or phrase (e.g. subject:contract, from:bob.jones). Qualifiers can be combined with other qualifiers, words, phrases, Boolean logic and filters to narrow a search to find exactly the items you want.
The following examples demonstrate some of the many ways to construct Complex Search requests.