Overview

Administrators can use a combination of keywords and operators to build a query that finds the desired files and emails.

For File Search

For Email Search

Here is the list of operators used:

AND - By default, inSync uses AND in all the search queries that contain more than one word. For example, if you search "monthly AND sales" or “monthly sales”, then inSync will search all the files and emails that contain both the words "monthly" and "sales".
() - Parenthesis: The part of the search query in the parenthesis is executed first. Example, if the query is "quarterly OR report (march AND december)", then the "(march AND december)" part of the query will be executed first.
OR - inSync also uses OR in the search queries that contain more than one word. For example, if you search "monthly OR sales", then inSync will search all files and emails that either contains the word "monthly" or the word "sales".

The following are examples that help understand how the operators work:

Example: Search query entered - Dear AND Sir OR Madam

In this case, inSync will search and find filename/email subject that contains both “Dear” and “Sir” as well as the filename/email subject that contains both “Dear” and “ Madam”.

Example: Search query entered - (Dear AND Sir) OR Madam

In this case, inSync will search and find filename/email subject that contains both “Dear” and “Sir” as well as the filename/email subject that contains “Madam” with and without “Dear” and “Sir”.

Best Practices and Tips for using Federated Search for files and emails

Searching for information effectively helps you find exactly what you need, faster. Here are a few tips to make your searches successful:

1. Using the Match Exact Words checkbox for precise phrases

Sometimes you need to find a particular phrase, like a project code or a combined term. Our search tool has a special option to help with this.

💡Tip: By default, the Match Exact Words checkbox is always selected, which is usually best for precise searches. If this checkbox is not selected, it is recommended that your search query must contain at least three characters. For details, see examples below.

How it works: When you select the Match Exact Words checkbox, the search looks for your entire phrase as a single unit. This is great for terms connected by words like "AND" or specific names.
Example with Match Exact Words checkbox selected-
If you search for "Test AND QA" with the Match Exact Words checkbox selected, you will find results where "Test" and "QA" appear together in that exact sequence.
Example with Match Exact Words checkbox NOT selected -
If you search for "Test AND QA" with the Match Exact Words NOT selected,
you might get an error. This is because the system will try to treat "QA" as a separate search term, and it is too short (less than three characters) to be searched.

2. Avoid special characters in your searches

What to avoid: Do not search with only special characters like *, (, ), %, $, &, @, !, and similar symbols in your search box. This would result in an error.
Example: If you try to search for "Project*123", you may encounter an error.
Example: If you try to search for “Project_Budget_2025”, “Monthly-Sales” and so on, you will find results.
Specific Exception: The Asterisk (*)
- The asterisk * is a special reserved symbol in our system that has a different, internal function. Because of this, using * in your search (like "Test*") will cause an error, irrespective of whether the Match Exact Words checkbox is selected or not.

3. Be mindful of short words when the "Match Exact Words" checkbox is NOT selected

When you deselect the Match Exact Words option, the system tries to search for each part of your query separately. This can cause problems if one of those parts is too short (less than three characters).

The Rule: If you split your search into separate parts (for example, by using spaces or certain symbols), each part must be at least three characters long.
Examples of searches that will cause an error (with "Match Exact Words" NOT Selected):
- "Test # Test" (the # token is too short)
- "ABC - DEF" (the - token is too short)
- "ABC | DEF" (the | token is too short)
- "ABC / DEF" (the / token is too short)
Solution: If you want to search for phrases like these, make sure to keep the Match Exact Words selected.

By following these simple guidelines, you can ensure your searches are efficient and you consistently find the information you need.

Things to consider

This is a prefix-based search. While searching for a filename, the search keyword must contain the prefix text of the filename. For example, to search for “NewToken” filename, the search will work only if the query contains the keyword “New”.
Operators must always be entered in capital letters. If you use any other variation of the operators in your search query, inSync considers them as a keyword of the search query. For example, in the Sales And Marketing search query, And is considered as a search keyword.
By default, the Match Exact Words checkbox is selected. In this case, you can use keywords of fewer than three characters in a search query, and each keyword must match the different words in the file exactly. For example, to search Q1 results.txt filename, with the Match Exact Words checkbox selected, you can use “q1”, “q1 results, or “results” as the keyword.
If the Match Exact Words checkbox is not selected, all characters in a search query must contain at least three characters. For example, "qu" or "quarterly re" are invalid search queries, whereas "qua" or "quarterly rep" are valid search queries.
You can use a maximum of 12 keywords in the search query.