Making effective use of NetSuite Global Search
The effective use of the NetSuite Global Seach function is an important element in the day to day use of NetSuite. Most Users know how to use the Global Search function and use it on a daily basis. However most Users are not aware of some of the special characters that they could use as part of the search string to help filter down the results of the search into a more manageable list.
Below are some of the lesser known special characters to help you when performing a Global Search from your NetSuite dashboard:
| Special Characters | Use | Example | Result |
| : or ^ | Used to narrow searches down to a specific record type e.g. Leads only | le:dental or cu:dental | Would return a list of leads or customers containing the keyword “dental” |
| OR or space or – | Used to separate keywords | north OR south or north south or north – south | Would return records containing either “north” or “south” |
| + | Used to include inactive records | cu:dental+ | Would return a list of leads or customers containing the keyword “dental” including inactive customer records |
| ” “ | Used to include exact text matches only for keywords and record types | cu:”ABC Dental” or “customer”:XYZ | cu:”ABC Dental” would only return a list of customers with the name “ABC Dental” |
| % | Used as a wildcard in numeric searches | inv:202% | Would return a list of invoices starting with 202 e.g. 20210, 20211, 20212 etc. |
| :: | Used to show search results in a new tab or window | inv::202% | Would return the same list of invoices starting with 202 e.g. 20210, 20211, 20212 etc. but in a new window |
Notes
1. If you have enabled the Global Search Customer Prefix Includes Leads and Prospect at Home > Set Preferences then as an example cu: would return all leads, prospects and customers instead of only customers. The same would be true for using pr: for prospects and le: for leads.
2. To always include inactive records in your Global Search results, go to Home > Set Preferences, click the Reporting/Search subtab, and check the Include Inactives in Global and Quick Search box.