The User Search tool has been enhanced with type-ahead technology, replacing drop down menus and data pickers with a smart text field that will provide data matches as you type in real time. Administrators can now apply multiple filter values to each search criterion as well, making it easier to define audiences, target users for announcements, and batch enroll others.

Data scoping logic remains intact with this update, only allowing access to LMS records granted by a user's Profile, Position, and Role assignments. This enhancement reduces clicks and is a more intuitive way to group multiple values into a single criterion. The complete inventory of new and updated criteria is provided at the end of this document.

Type-Ahead Technology

Select desired Criteria and Comparison values from drop-down menus, then click the Search Value text field to see the first 100 options automatically populate in your type-ahead menu. Start typing and the list will be pared down to display only those LMS records that have a matching text string in their Name or Code. 

Some criteria are designed to provide both active and inactive records as filter options, and will demarcate the latter with the italicized term "(Inactive)". Values that do not display this term are active LMS records.

Select search values using a mouse click or the arrow, comma, and Enter keys. Remove a search value from the selected list by clicking its "x" icon or by using the arrow, Delete, and Backspace keys. Delete multiple values at once by Ctrl+ clicking a list, then hitting the Backspace or Delete key.

Multi-Select Functionality

When a user selects criterion that offers both type-ahead and multiple value selection, or multi-select functionality, the Search Value column will display a text box with default <<ALL>> value. On click, this control opens a menu that lists the first 100 available records in alphabetical order. Type or scroll through the list and populate desired data filters as described above.

Some User Search criteria provide multi-select functionality without a type-ahead match list, allowing administrators to execute a search based on any number of partial text strings. These criteria will offer comparison options "Starts With, Contains, Does Not Contain" and do not display the default <<ALL>> in the Search Value column. To search on partial match values, use the keyboard to enter text and separate values by hitting the comma, Tab, or Enter keys. You can also use a mouse to click the "Add [text]..." drop-down menu to populate values.

Search Patterns and Boolean Logic

All Search Values selected for a single criterion are joined with the operand "OR" behind the scenes, in Boolean logic. Here is the explicit query executed in the User Search example above: 

• Audience: ((((1 AND 2) AND 3) AND 4) AND 5) 
• Search Users: ((((1 AND 2) AND 3) AND 4) AND 5)
• Announcements: 1 AND (((2 AND 3) AND 4) AND 5)
• Batch Enroll: (1 AND 2 AND 3) AND ((4 AND 5))

Inventory of New and Updated Criteria

We've added a new Criteria option called "User" which offers Comparisons "Is, Isn't" and Search Values that match any of the following data points: Username, First Name, Last Name

The following criteria were enhanced with both type-ahead and multi-select technologies:

• Department
• Position
• Role
• User Group
• Course
• Organization
• Certification/Curriculum
• Brand
• User

The following criterion employs type-ahead technology, but only allows single value selection:

• Audience

The following criteria will accept partial text string entry and return results for multiple values, but does not provide a type-ahead match list:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Username
• Email

The following criteria do not provide searchable values for filtering, and therefore remain unaffected by this enhancement:

• User Account
• Enrollment Location
• User Reporting
• User Profile
• User Last Login Date
• User Account Start Date

Portals that employ our Person-to-Person Reporting Hierarchy should note that no changes were made to "Manager" and "Alternate Manager" filters, as those are slated to undergo their own major enhancements soon.