How to Query

In most screens in the system you can search the database for specific information you want to see. This is done using a set of buttons on the toolbar, or the equivalent shortcut keys, so as to define queries that filter the data according your criteria.

To initiate a query

In any screen, if the Enter query button is highlighted then you are able to query the data using either that button or its shortcut key:

• click the Enter query button highlighted above

  • or press F11 on your keyboard

This will clear all the fields in the part of the screen you are in and put that area into query mode i.e. a mode in which you can enter query criteria.

Enter your search criteria into the field or fields that you wish to query on.

E.g. If you are in the Individuals screen and you want to bring up a particular contributor's record you would type their name into the forename and surname fields.

Please note that in the name fields (forename, surname and the company name in organisations) the system will automatically add a wildcard to the end of your search string. For instance typing 'Chris' in the forename will return Chris, Christopher, Christina etc.

In all other fields you may need to add a wildcard (see below)

In most text fields queries are case insensitive, so you don't have to worry about getting the the uppercase, lowercase, or mixed case exactly right.

Run the query

Once you have defined your filter criteria you can run the query:

• click the Run query button

• or press Ctrl+F11

The query will execute bringing back any records that meet your criteria. If your query does not return anything try changing your criteria to be less restrictive.

If you specify values in more than one field, the query returns records only if they match the values you specified in all of those fields.

Cancel the query

If the screen is in query mode then you can exit the query mode by clicking on the Cancel query button

Wildcards

There are two wildcards you can use in queries:

_ (underscore) meaning a single character

e.g. Franc_s will return both Francis and Frances

% meaning any number of characters or none

e.g. Ja%k% will return Jack, Jake, Jacky, Jackie, Jackson etc. OR entering %@theguardian.com in the email field will return all records with an email address in that domain

To query using checkboxes and radio buttons, click on the checkbox or radio button until it's the way you want it. NB In query mode checkboxes and radio button are initially treated as having a blank value even if their appearance indicates a value, but as soon as you click on them the query will be restricted to the value displayed on the item(s). To return an item to the neutral position you must Clear the record (Press F6) but this will also clear any other filter values you have entered.

Advanced Query