Advanced Search

To run more complex search queries, with multiple search criteria, click Advanced Search in the MI:Viewer toolbar to open the Advanced Search page.

Search a specific table

Choose a table from the Search in list to limit the scope of the search to records in that table, for example, search only in the Metals and alloys table.  All of the tables that you are authorized to access in the currently-selected Profile or database will be listed here. When you select a table here:

• Only records in the specified table will be searched.
• Only Attributes in the specified table can be selected as search criteria.

Select Any table to set the search scope to all available tables. Note that if you are using a predefined search, the Search in field will be locked and you won't be able to choose a different table.

Search for specific Attributes and data values  

Under Search for Attributes and data on the Advanced Search page, you can specify the Attributes you want to search and the values you are interested in,  for example, records where Young's modulus is at least 0.1 10^6 psi.

Type the first few letters of the Attribute name in the box provided, and then select the Attribute from the list.  Alternatively, click Browse Attributes and browse through the available tables to find the Attribute you want. You can select Attributes from linked tables under Linked tables in the browse tree; for example, you can find materials in the MaterialUniverse table that are linked to the ProcessUniverse 'Flat sheet' process.  

Once you have added an Attribute from a specific table here, the search scope will limited to that table only:

• The table containing the Attribute will appear in the Search in field at the top of the page, indicating that the scope of the search is now limited to that table, and you won't be able to change this unless you remove all the selected Attributes from the Search for Attributes and data panel.
• When you add more Attribute search criteria, only Attributes in the selected table will be available: Attributes from other tables won't appear in the suggested list or in the Attribute Browse window.

The available search operators for Attribute search criteria (exists, contains, is at most, and so on) will depend on the Attribute data type.

If criteria are entered for more than one Attribute, records must satisfy all of the criteria to be returned by the search.

Records with no data for the Attribute will not be returned.

If an Attribute has a value of Not Applicable, by default the record will not be included in search results on that Attribute; however, this can be configured by changing the Pass Not Applicable application search option (in Settings > Options).

Search operators quick reference

Searching functional data

For searches that include functional data, you can specify the required parameter values you are interested in. For example, a search can return:

• Records where the functional datum satisfies a condition at an exact, complete set of parameters, for example, “Find me all materials with a Strength > 100 MPa at a temperature of 23.5°C and a basis of A-basis”.
• Records with parameter values that fall within a range, for example: “Find me all materials with a strength >100 at a temperature between 20 and 25°C, for any statistical basis”.

The default parameter values can be used in the search, or you can click on the Parameters link and specify the values you are interested in. Click to see an example

Searching Tabular data

Both local and linked Tabular data can be included in an advanced search. For example:

Find all materials which contain greater than 20% of carbon black

The criteria for this search includes the Substance name (linked Attribute) and Amount (local data) columns of the Restricted substances associated with this material Tabular Attribute.

Where the search criteria include multiple tabular columns, a record is only returned if the values within the row satisfy all of the search criteria. Note, however, that if the is not search operator is used, the specified value may not appear in ANY row of the Tabular data. Click to see an example

Search for specific record properties

Your search criteria can include a number of different record properties.

Note that, although it is not possible to use Record Guid (RGUID) or Record History Guid (RHGUID) as search criteria, you can identify/select records by RGUID or RHGUID by pasting Guid data into the Record List from the clipboard; see Pasting into the Record List from the clipboard.

Use this property...	to find
Record name	Records with specific keywords in either the record Short Name or Full Name:
Date created	Records created on a specific date or within a date range. For example:
Date last modified	Records that were modified on a specific date or during a date range. Operations that will cause a change to a record's modification date are: Data changes (creation, modification, or deletion of a datum value) Changes (creation, modification, deletion) to Meta-attribute data Changes to quality ratings Changes to the record Full Name, Short Name, Short Code, or Color Changes to the record type. The record modification date will not be changed as a result of adding the record to/removing it from a subset, or after changes to record links (addition/removal of statically linked records, changes to dynamically-linked records).
Created By	Records that were created by the specified user. For example:
Modified By	Records that were modified by the specified user
Type	Records with a specific record type: one or more of Record, Folder, or Generic Record (a record that is both a data record and a folder e.g. "Wrought Aluminum Alloys").
Color	Records with the specified colors. For example:
Version State	In a version-controlled table, records with the specified version state: Unreleased, Released, Superceded, or Withdrawn. (This option is only available in Edit mode.)

Search for keywords and phrases  

In the Search for keywords panel, you can define a search query that includes keywords and phrases, and query string operators.  Note that the search terms you enter are reduced to their root form when the search is performed, for example, the search term "marage" will be matched with "marage", "maraged", and "maraging".

Enter your query directly in the all of these words search query field, including any required query string operators; multiple terms entered here will be combined using the AND operator unless otherwise specified.

Alternatively, click Build a search query and enter one or more query strings; these will be added to the search query field with the relevant query string operators.

Use a pre-defined search

At the top of the Advanced Search page,  the Use a predefined search option allows you to quickly create complex search queries.  Here, you can select:

• Search templates—quickly add multiple Attributes from the same table to your search. When you select a search template from the Use a predefined search list, the Attributes will be automatically added to the Search for Attributes and data panel, and you can then specify the data values and search thresholds you are interested in. You can then add more Attributes from the same table, remove Attributes, and define additional search criteria such as keywords or record properties, before running the search.
• Saved searches—these are search queries that have been saved to a file (known as a  "search project"). See Saved searches.

Granta reference databases typically include a number of different search templates, and if your GRANTA MI administrator has defined any additional predefined searches, for example, for searching your company's data, these will also appear in the Use a predefined search list under the relevant database. Click to see an example

Search for substitutes

Find substitute materials that represent the best match to a reference record using the Search for substitutes feature at the bottom of the Advanced Search page. This can be the best overall match, or you can select specific Attributes to match against. Substitution results are presented in a clear, ranked list, based on their "nearness" to the reference record, making it quick and easy to identify the likeliest substitutes.

1. Identify a reference record by doing one of the following:
• Locating the record in the Contents tree and then clicking Find substitutes for this record on the Task menu.
• On the record datasheet, clicking Tools > Find substitutes for this record.
• On the Advanced Search page, under Search for substitutes, clicking Choose and then selecting the record from the tree.
2. Specify the Attributes on which the substitution calculation should be based.
3. Optionally, enter a value for the Ignore records whose results are less complete than option. For potential substitution records, at least this percentage of Attributes used in the substitution calculation must be populated, otherwise the record will be discounted.
4. Click Search to perform the search.  

The list of candidate records is then shown. You can then examine the results in a report:

• Nearness Report. A Comparison Table report showing all records which pass your search criteria, ranked in order of distance from your reference record, with values of all the Attributes used in the nearness calculation.
• Potential Issues Report. Identifies issues with your results which may not have been considered in your substitution criteria.
• Choose a report... Click to add the search results to the Record list and open the Reports page.

Run a search

Click Search at the bottom of the Advanced Search page to run the search with all of the search criteria you have specified; a list of records that pass all of the search criteria will be displayed, see Using search results.

Click Refine search on the Search tab to return to the Advanced Search page again, where you can view and/or modify the search criteria and run the search again, or start a completely new search.