Searching the PeopleSoft Online Library

Using Verity Query Syntax

You can search the PeopleSoft Online Library using a simple search or an advanced search. To perform a simple search, use the Search tab on the Reference pane. To access the PeopleBooks Library: Advanced Search page, click the Advanced Search link on the Search tab.

This document gives detailed information on the Verity search syntax. For information on using the PSOL search forms, see the "About These PeopleBooks" PeopleBook.

See Searching Through the PeopleSoft Online Library.

Using Verity Query Syntax

At the Advanced Search page, you can control which title or library you want to search and define how you want the search results formatted. You can perform a simple search from this page (by setting the Match option to All, Any, or Exact phrase) or choose to take advantage of Verity's powerful search language in an advanced search by selecting the Query syntax option.

The syntax you use when entering search criteria is much like that used in any popular internet search engine.

Here are some basic sample queries and the results they would return.

Query String	Finds
meet	The word meet plus stemmed variations, such as meets and meeting.
back up	The phrase back up plus stemmed variations such as backs up, backing up, and back ups.
"meet"	The word meet only.
"back up"	The phrase back up only.
back "up"	The word back plus stemmed variations, followed by the word up only. For example: back up, backing up and backs up.
sql and sqr	Topics containing both sql and sqr.
list or report	Topics containing list or report.
list, report, sqr	Topics containing list, or report, or sqr, with additional weight given when multiple keywords are found. You could also use <accrue>(list, report, sqr).
report not sqr	Topics containing report but not sqr.

Using Advanced Query Syntax

Now that you understand that the basic search syntax, you can make your queries even more powerful by using wildcards, proximity searches, field searches, and nested searches.

Wildcard Characters

You can use wildcard characters to expand your search if you are not sure of the spelling of your search term.

Asterisks (*) substitute for a string of characters of any length.
Question marks (?) substitute for any single character.

Note. When you use wildcards, the search term is interpreted literally, as if it were enclosed in quotes.

Here are some examples.

Query String

Finds

map*

re*t

map, maps, mapping, mapper, maple, etc.

rest, react, report, reticent, etc.

c?t

qu???y

cat, cot, cut, etc.

queasy, quirky, etc.

Proximity Operators

You can refine a search by using proximity search operators to retrieve documents that contain the search terms in close proximity to each other. These operators are similar to the Boolean AND, but limit the hits to terms found in the same sentence or paragraph. Also, the proximity operators take precedence over the Boolean operators in processing order.

The <SENTENCE> operator is used between two terms to find those terms within the same sentence.
The <PARAGRAPH> operator is used between two terms to find those terms within the same paragraph.

Here are some examples.

Query String	Finds
sql <sentence> table	Topics that contain sql and table in the same sentence.
sql <paragraph> table	Topics that contain sql and table in the same paragraph.
sql <sentence> table or field	Topics that contain either sql and table in the same sentence, or that contain field.

Field Search Operator

The <IN> operator is used to specify the field to be searched. (Only the title field is available).

Query String	Finds
sql <in> title	Topics that contain sql in the topic title.

Nested Queries

You can enclose search terms and their operators in parentheses to specify the order that they are interpreted. Information within parentheses is processed first, and then information outside parentheses is processed.

Query String	Finds
(crystal or sqr) and panel	Topics that contain panel as well as crystal or sqr.
report and (sql <sentence> (sqr or cobol) or crystal <sentence> field)	Topics that contain report plus a sentence with sql and sqr, or a sentence with sql and cobol, or a sentence with crystal and field.

Viewing Verity Query Syntax

In the Advanced Search results pages, your query text is displayed as a link. When you click this link, a popup window opens displaying the Verity query syntax used behind the scenes for the "simple" search modes: All words, Any words, Exact phrase. This window can be helpful in debugging unexpected search results and for learning more about how Verity query syntax can be used.