Global Search

To use global search, enter keywords that map to all or part of a record name or ID in the search field at the top of any page. You can quickly move the cursor to the search field by pressing Alt+G.

Global search keywords can be made up of letters, numbers, dashes, underscores, and % wildcards. Any other characters entered in keywords are considered white space. You can use OR as a separator in global search keywords. You can include a prefix in keywords to narrow the search by record type. A search prefix is made up of all or some of the letters of a record type plus a colon or a caret. For example, you could use it: to search for items.

For successful global searches, NetSuite recommends that the keywords you use are between 3 and 32 characters long. If a keyword is longer than 32 characters, all additional characters are ignored. If a keyword has less than 3 characters or is not unique, your search may not return the results you expect when you are searching over a large amount of data.

By default, global search provides a list of suggested matches as you type. You can select a suggested match or press Enter to return all matching results.

• When you select a suggested match:

  • To open a record in view mode, click directly on the record name.

  • To open a record in edit mode, click Edit that appears at right.

  • To open a record in a new tab or new window, right-click on the record name or Edit, and choose Open in New Tab or Open in New Window.

  • To open the customer dashboard for a suggested customer record, click Dash that appears to the right.

  • You can also use the Tab key to move through the suggested matches list.

• When you press Enter, keywords are compared to record name and ID field values.

  • If multiple records match your keywords, a list page of results opens. This list includes a Type column displaying the record type for each row.

  • If only a single record matches, by default the record opens in view mode.

  • To return a single result record on a list page instead, go to Home > Set Preferences, click the Analytics subtab, and check the Show List When Only One Result box.

  • For item records, keywords also are compared to Vendor Name/ID and UPC Code values.

  • If you have made any custom fields available for global search, keywords also are compared to these fields' values. 

• If you do not want a list of suggested matches to display for global searches, you can disable the Global Search Auto Suggest option at Home > Set Preferences on the Analytics subtab.

By default, global search results are sorted by record type, and within each record type, by name or ID. To sort results by name or ID, without dividing them by record type, you can enable the Global Search Sort by Name/ID option at Home > Set Preferences on the Analytics subtab.