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Searching

Searching is one of the most common and powerful tasks in MinistryPlatform.

The List and Grid layouts show the first 1000 records, and scrolling through records isn't always practical so understanding differnt ways to search the records can help you better use the information in MinistryPlatform.

Views​

Each page has a default search view, but you can change to a different view as desired. All views available to you are listed in a drop-down menu to the right of the Search field. Changing the view you're searching in can greatly affect your results, as views are pre-filtered to match only the specific view criteria.

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Views Are Dynamic​

Views are like windows to your data, every time you choose one, the system will return the latest results. They not only control any filters such as showing you birthdays this month, but they control what columns you see and what order those columns are in. In database terms a view is like a query, it is a question you are asking the system and the system is returning the answer.

Views are Editable, Creatable, and Sharable​

MinistryPlatform comes pre-loaded with many helpful views. Some of these views are "System Views" meaning that anyone who can view that page, can see that view. Views can also be personal (only the person who created it using the Advcande Search Tool can see it) or shared with a User Group.

Advanced Search Tool​

Advanced Search always creates Personal Views or Shared Views. These Views may also be edited by selecting the View and clicking the Advanced Search button.

1. Open Advanced Search

Determine the page you want your View to be on and start an Advanced Search.

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2. Enter a Title

Enter a Title for your View. This is the name that appears in the View drop-down menu.

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3. Select Fields

Add the fields you want in your View by double-clicking or dragging and dropping them in the Advanced Search window.

Note

The folder icons expand to allow you to add fields from other pages. For example, if you are on contacts the Households folder will allow you to access the mailing address.

Columns of your View will appear in the order in which they descend in the Advanced Search window. To reorder columns simply drag and drop into the desired location.

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Column​

You can narrow your search to a specific (or multiple!) columns. To do so, click the down arrow next to the Search field and then input your search term in the field below the desired column header. You can search by multiple columns by inputting search terms in the fields below the additional column headers.

Note

Column search is available in Grid Layout ONLY.

By default, column-based searched are "starts with" searches, meaning that they are only looking for matches with the beginning of the specific columns. You can also search for anything that appears in the column by including "" for a wildcard search. For example, searching for Andersn would return results of both Anderson and Andersen.

Columns for "Yes" or "No" fields include the option to filter on "Yes," "No," or "Unset." Unset means that no filter is set and will display fields containing both Yes and No. Unset does not mean the value is null.

When you are finished with your column-based search, you have two options to get rid of the column search fields: either click the down arrow or navigate to a different page.

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Wildcard​

You can narrow your search using wildcards, so you can find what you're looking for even if you don't know exactly what that is. To do so, input the desired wildcard into the Search field along with your search term. This can be done in column searches too.

  • *** or % (asterisk or percent):** Returns any string of zero or more characters. For example, searching for M*ord would return results of both McCord and Mulford.

  • _ (underscore): Returns any single character. In some cases, this works better than using an asterisk (*) because it narrows your search to the one character (or however many characters that matches the number of underscores used). For example, _heryl returns both Cheryl and Sheryl.

  • [n]: Where n is any number of characters that are possibilities you want to be returned. For example, searching for zip codes 3009[123] returns 30091, 30092, and 30093.

  • [n-n]: Where n-n is a range of numbers or letters that are possibilities you want to be returned. For example, searching for zip codes 3009[1-4] returns 30091, 30092, 30093. and 30094

  • [^] (caret): Returns any single character not within the specified range ([^aeiou]). For example, searching for 3009[^0123] returns 30094 through 30099. If you use it as shown - [^] - with no other characters specified with either your comma search or column search, then it will return the records where there is data in the field and will filter out all the records where there is no data in the field.

  • or: Returns strings matching both parameters. For example, bryan or brian will return all the Bryans and all the Brians

  • [ ] (square brackets): Works only with single-digit numbers. For example, [1-4] returns all numbers beginning with 1, 2, 3 or 4. In cases where you want to find data within a range, consider using the Advanced Search to build your view.

Global Search returns matches across multiple Pages. This can be useful when looking for specific information but are unsure where it is located. It is also an insightful way to see various records related to a single individual. Global Search is located in the masthead and is available from every page. When a search is performed, the User is redirected to the Home Page where results are displayed.

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