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Full-text search configuration

The "Full-Text" search is the feature that allows you to find a document by entering any word present in its metadata or inside its attached files. The system relies on an advanced indexing engine (Lucene) that catalogs each word to provide relevant results in milliseconds.

Configuration access​

Access path: Tools > FullText search settings menu

Indexing administration - General settings

Search scope​

Application to index​

Option: Check the current application to enable full-text indexing

Usage:

  • Enabled: Indexing and search operational
  • Disabled: Temporary stop (maintenance, migration)

Default theme​

Defines the visual appearance of the search interface:

Color:

  • Dropdown list with color preview
  • Search interface customization

Image:

  • Option to use a theme based on a background image

Date field format​

Date only:

  • Indexes only the date without time
  • Search by day

Date and time:

  • Indexes complete date and time
  • Precise temporal search (recommended)

Selection of forms to index​

Selection of forms and fields to index

Forms list​

Check the forms whose documents should be indexed:

  • Action
  • Audit
  • Campaign
  • Observation
  • FAQ
  • Non-Conformity
  • Procedure
  • Etc.

Tip: Index all important business forms, exclude technical or temporary forms.

Index attachments​

Enabled: Text extraction from attached files (PDF, Word, Excel)

Advantages:

  • Search within document content
  • Find a certificate by its batch number in the PDF
  • Exhaustive search

Precautions:

  • Consumes more disk space
  • Longer indexing
  • Verify that IFilters are installed

Form theme​

Customize the search appearance by document type (color or image).

Detailed configuration by form​

Fields to index​

Access: "Action" menu > "Configure form"

Field selection:

  • Business fields: Title, Reference, Description, Owner, Department
  • System fields: Creation date, Author, Status
  • Workflow fields: Current step, History

Best practices:

  • Index relevant text fields
  • Avoid technical fields (ID, GUID)
  • Include frequently searched fields

Defined filters​

Defined filters for indexing

Usage: Restrict indexing to certain records based on criteria

Examples:

  • Index only validated documents
  • Exclude drafts
  • Don't index confidential documents

Fields to display​

Select the columns that will appear in search results:

  • Title: Mandatory
  • Subtitle: Additional information
  • Additional columns: Reference, Date, Author, etc.

Detail tables​

Choose which child tables (sub-forms) should be indexed:

  • Order lines
  • Modification history
  • Participant list
  • Etc.

Usage: Allows searching within sub-table data.

Check technical or associated tables whose content should be indexed:

  • History
  • Email logs
  • Comments

Example: Find a document by searching for a word present in its comments.

SQL filter​

For advanced users: Enter a SQL WHERE clause to precisely filter documents to index.

Syntax: WHERE clause or complete SELECT query

Examples:

WHERE D.status = 2

(Only indexes validated documents)

SELECT D.id FROM Documents D WHERE D.confidential = 0

(Excludes confidential documents from index)

Usage: Very fine control of indexing scope.

Best practices​

Design​

Selectivity:

  • Index what is actually searched
  • Avoid overloading the index (performance)
  • Balance comprehensiveness and relevance

Attachments:

  • Enable for important business documents (procedures, certificates)
  • Disable for very large files (>50 MB)
  • Verify IFilters availability (PDF, Office)

Filters:

  • Exclude drafts if not relevant
  • Exclude archived documents if necessary
  • Include only accessible documents

Maintenance​

Regular review:

  • Verify relevance of indexed fields
  • Add new forms if necessary
  • Remove obsolete forms

Documentation:

  • Document configuration choices
  • Note exclusions (why?)
  • Maintain a list of indexed forms

Performance​

Optimization:

  • Limit number of indexed fields
  • Don't index unnecessary technical fields
  • Monitor index size
  • Optimize regularly (see next article)

Business case: Configuration for a quality system​

Forms to index:

  • ☑ Non-Conformity
  • ☑ Action
  • ☑ Procedure
  • ☑ Audit
  • ☑ Customer complaint form
  • ☐ Draft (temporary form)

Attachments:

  • ☑ Index attachments (certificates, reports)

Fields for "Non-Conformity":

  • ☑ Title
  • ☑ Reference
  • ☑ Description
  • ☑ Cause
  • ☑ Corrective actions
  • ☑ Department
  • ☑ Owner
  • ☐ Technical ID (not relevant)

Filters:

  • Exclude NCs in "Draft" status
  • SQL filter: WHERE D.status >= 1

Fields to display:

  • Title (main)
  • Reference (subtitle)
  • Creation date
  • Department
  • Owner

Result: Efficient and relevant search across all quality documents.

After configuration​

Once configuration is complete:

  1. Save your changes
  2. Clear cache (AdminTools > Cache)
  3. Launch reindexing (see next article)
  4. Test search with real queries
  5. Adjust if necessary

Support​

For advanced configuration (complex SQL filters, optimal performance on large volumes), contact Avanteam support.