In this topic you will learn how to Use the Look up Feature.
contains
The second search option is "contains". The "contains" operand can be selected by clicking the drop-down arrow to the right of the Short Vendor Name field.
In this example, you will click the Vendor ID link to select the Office Depot option.
The Look up feature is depicted in the database as a magnifying glass. Anytime you see a magnifying glass next to a field, you have look up capability.
The Look Up feature allows you to search for all valid values in the database for a specific field. It can also be used to narrow the scope of your search when a large number of values are returned.
In this example you will search for an appropriate value for the Vendor field. The 10-digit Vendor ID number is the value needed for the Vendor field rather than the vendor name. You will use Office Depot as your vendor. You will locate and select Office Depot utilizing the Look up feature. Once selected, the system will default the Vendor ID number into the Vendor field, thus completing the Look up process.
The number of results retrieved can be reduced by entering all or part of either the Vendor ID or Short Vendor Name into the search fields provided. Most users will utilize the Short Vendor Name option as their search parameter.
There are three operators that can be used to help narrow your search results. They are:
• begins with,
• contains, and
• the wildcard (% sign).
begins with
The system defaults the "beings with" operand for all search fields. In this example you will search for Office Depot using the Short Vendor Name field and the "begins with" operand.
The system will automatically display some field values on the Look up page. Only 300 results can be displayed at a time. If there are more than 300 results returned, you must use the search fields provided to help narrow the scope of your search.
A message will display above the returned results if more than 300 options are available. In this example there are a total of 2736 vendors from which to choose.
The Wildcard
The third search option is the "wildcard". The "%" sign is used as a "wildcard" in the system, taking the place of letters, words, numbers, etc.
Where the % sign is placed will determine the type and number of results retrieved. For example:
• office% – all vendor names beginning with the word office will be returned. This option will return the same number of results as using the "begins with" operand.
• %office% - all vendor names containing the word office will be returned. This option will return the same number of results as using the "contains" operand.
The system has returned vendor names that begin with the word Office. Using the "wildcard" option has reduced the original search results from 2736 to 6.
Each line contains a series for links for the specified vendor. Links are generally underlined and blue in color. You can click any link on the desired vendor's line and the system will default the needed information onto the Requisitions Defaults page.
The system defaults the desired Vendor ID into the Vendor field.
The system has returned vendor names that contain the word Office. Using the "contains" operand reduced the original search results from 2736 to 8.
Use the vertical scroll to view additional results.
The system has only returned vendor names that begin with the word Office thus reducing the list of options from 2736 to 6.
This completes Using the Look up Feature.