As you know, SharePoint search can be a powerful tool for finding information within your organization’s SharePoint site. However, if you’re not familiar with how to use it, it can seem overwhelming. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through the basics of using SharePoint search and provide some advanced tips to help you get the most out of this feature.
First things first, let’s start by understanding what SharePoint search is and why it’s useful. SharePoint search allows you to search for content within your SharePoint site, including documents, lists, libraries, and even external data sources. This can be especially helpful if you have a large amount of information stored on your site and need an efficient way to find specific pieces of content.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s dive into how to use SharePoint search. To start searching, simply click on the “Search” button in the top-right corner of your SharePoint site. This will bring up a search box where you can enter your search query.
When entering your search query, keep in mind that SharePoint uses a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm to determine what you’re looking for. This means that it’s okay if your search query isn’t perfect – the system is designed to understand what you mean and return relevant results.
Some common search operators you can use include:
- AND: Use this operator to combine multiple keywords with an “and” condition.
- OR: Use this operator to combine multiple keywords with an “or” condition.
- NOT: Use this operator to exclude certain words or phrases from your search results.
For example, if you want to find documents that contain both the words “marketing” and “sales”, you would enter “marketing AND sales”. If you want to find documents that contain either the word “marketing” or “sales”, you would enter “marketing OR sales”.
You can also use parentheses to group search operators. For example, if you want to find documents that contain both the words “marketing” and “sales” but not “product”, you would enter “(marketing AND sales) NOT product”.
Now that we’ve covered some of the basics of using SharePoint search, let’s talk about how to refine your search results. One way to do this is by using filters. Filters allow you to narrow down your search results based on specific criteria such as author, date, or file type.
For example, if you’re looking for documents written by a specific person, you can use the “Author” filter to find those documents. If you want to find documents that were created within a certain time frame, you can use the “Date” filter. And if you want to find only Word documents or PDFs, you can use the “File type” filter.
Another way to refine your search results is by using scopes. Scopes allow you to limit your search to specific areas of your SharePoint site such as libraries, lists, or even individual sites.
For example, if you’re looking for documents within a specific library, you can use the “Library” scope to find those documents. If you want to find only items within a certain list, you can use the “List” scope. And if you want to search across multiple sites, you can use the “Site” scope.
Finally, let’s talk about some advanced tips for using SharePoint search. One thing to keep in mind is that SharePoint search is case-insensitive, which means it won’t distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters. This can be especially helpful when searching for specific keywords or phrases.
Another tip is to use the “wildcard” operator () to find documents that contain words with similar characteristics. For example, if you want to find documents that contain words starting with the letter “M”, you would enter “M*”. This can be especially helpful when searching for specific types of content such as names or dates.
In conclusion, SharePoint search is a powerful tool that can help you quickly and efficiently find the information you need within your organization’s SharePoint site. By understanding how to use basic search operators, refine your search results with filters and scopes, and use advanced tips like case-insensitivity and wildcards, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an expert in using SharePoint search.