How to use Boolean search operators?
You can utilize Boolean operators when performing a text search in ContractZen.
You can use the following search operators:
- AND (+) --> Searches for all the search terms you specify (type e.g. Jane AND John, or Jane +John).
- OR (|) --> Searches for one term or another, but not both (type e.g. Jane OR John, or Jane |John).
- NOT, AND NOT (-) --> Excludes a term from the search (type e.g. Jane NOT John, or Jane -John).
- " " (i.e. quotation marks) --> Searches for the exact phrase (type e.g. "Jane Doe").
- * (i.e. asterisk) --> Acts as a wildcard and will match any character, word or phrase. Use it to replace a word (type e.g. John * Doe) or find words that start with the same letters (type e.g. Jan*).
- ( ) (i.e. parenthesis) --> Search with search statements within the parentheses first, then apply any statements that are not enclosed (type e.g. (Jane OR John) Doe).
Please note that when using AND, OR, NOT, they have to be written in capitals, and there must be one space on both sides of the search operator (Jane AND John). When using +, |, -, there must be one space only on the left side of the operator, but not on the right side (Jane +John).
You can use the operators in the following places:
- Header search (global search) both in the main account and VDR.
- Text search in each Contract Management and Board Portal categories. Both main account and VDR.
- Entity Management text search.
The search operators work both in metadata search and Full-Text Search & OCR (i.e. when searching within the content of the attachments). However, the search terms are searched from the metadata and attachments one at a time, so the search or the results are not mixed. For example, if you make a search Jane AND John, the system tries to find both Jane and John first from the metadata, then from each attachment one by one. If Jane is found from the metadata and John from an attachment, no results are shown. Both need to be found either from the metadata, or at least from one attachment.
Also, as the Full-text Search & OCR is not usable in the VDR yet, the search operators work only within the metadata in the Virtual Data Rooms.
Note: If you do not use any of the above operators in the text search, e.g. you type Jane Doe Microsoft to the search box, the service will return only the results that include all of those search terms (documents that include words Jane, Doe and Microsoft). So, if you do not use any search operator, it means the same if you would use the AND operator.