The most basic search uses one "Search for..." box. The user first
enters the desired information in the "Search for..." box.
The user then chooses which index DataBridge2 will examine by selecting the
appropriate index in the "Look In" box.
To change the index, click on the drop-down arrow next to "Look In"
box. A list will then be displayed of all the possible indexes. Point and click
on the desired index and that one will be selected.
If the user is looking for an exact match to what was typed in the "Search
for..." box, then the "Exact Match" box should be checked. To
check this box, point the mouse on the box and click with the left mouse button.
A check mark will appear in the box. If the "Exact Match" box is not
checked, then DataBridge2 will find all occurrences and variations of the information
in the "Search for..." box.
When using several pieces of information to identify a specific file use multiple
"Search for..." boxes. Enter the initial search string in the first
"Search for..." box and verify the index in the "Look In"
box. Continue to do this until all information has been entered. Up to five
"Search for..." boxes can be used simultaneously. As with a single
"Search for..." box, the user has the option of selecting an exact
match for each "Search for..." box. The "Exact Match" boxes
can be turned on or off independently for each "Search for..." box.
For Example, suppose the user is looking for a person named John Smith. Since
John Smith is a common name, more than one file is likely to be found when a
search is initiated. To narrow the search and identify the correct John Smith
on the first search, his social security number and birth date could also be
used. This will ensure that only the desired John Smith's file will be displayed.
When multiple "Search for..." boxes are used, the "Match Options"
setting comes into play. If "Match ANY" is selected, DataBridge2 simultaneously
finds and displays files from each of the "Search for..." boxes in
one result set. If "Match ALL" is chosen, DataBridge2 compiles a list
of only those records which meet all of the "Search for..." box criteria.
This feature can also be used in conjunction with the "Exact Match"
boxes.
Wildcards are characters that are used to represent a number, letter or a group
of letters or numbers. Wildcards can be viewed as placeholders. Just as a person
might have someone else stand in line for them at a checkout stand these, wildcards
hold the space of one, or in some cases many, characters. In addition, a character
or character string can include symbols such as hyphens, commas, or periods.
DataBridge2 uses three different wildcards. They are as follows:
Wildcards can be used with or without the aforementioned features such as "Exact Match". Most commonly they would be used with "Exact Match" and the following section discusses the results of using them with the "Exact Match" option on and off. The examples used below are given as if the user is looking for a person's name.
If exact match is on and "ree" is typed in the "Search for..." box, DataBridge2 will look strictly for names that are spelled only "ree". DataBridge2 will find all instances of "ree" regardless of capitalization. DataBridge2 will find records where the letters "Ree" are the only characters or symbols in the index.
If exact match is turned off, then DataBridge2 will look for instances where "ree" appears in any part of the name index: Breeder, Freedman, Reed, Reeves and Roundtree.
If exact match is activated and an asterisks (wildcard) is inserted after "ree" (ree*) then DataBridge2 looks for all names that start with the letters "ree". If the asterisk is before the characters that are being searched for (*ree), then DataBridge2 will find all names that end with the letters ree. If exact match is off, an asterisk wildcard is not needed, since DataBridge2 searches for all instances of "ree" appearing in the name already.
Question mark is another type of wildcard. However, it stands for one specific character or letter as opposed to the asterisk, which represents any number of characters. Question mark is useful when the specific character of a name is unknown. "Brian" could also be spelled "Bryan". The simplest way to search might be by entering "Br?an" into the "Search for.." box.
Last Updated: April 28, 2004