Enterprise Vault - Searching

[BernardW]

Hello All,

We just installed Enterprise Vault 9.0.2 last week and are trying to figure out the best methods of using it. One area we are having some issues with is Search. We are finding that we don't like any of the search options. Each one has a few good parts but is missing many of the good features the other search method has. Is there any unified/good search tool out there? Or what is the way most people search their archives?

I guess in some ways this is a bit of a new user rant but who knows maby someone knows a good place to send these questions/suggestions so the product will look and work better.

Some things we have run into:

• When you search and just type in part of a work nothing is returned e.g. if you type "enterp" you will not get anything about "enterprise vault"
• with all the search options there is no way to sort or display emails by the TO and FROM.
• What does the Basic Search actually search?
• It would be nice if the Archive Explorer Search would dsiplay on the main screen what the current search terms are (since you can be searching for something and forget you added a criteria unless you look through each search tab).
• Is there any way to make the Outlook Archive Explorer display all archives (including the file system archives)?
• Is there any way to do "OR" searches instead of only "AND"
• Why can't you sort/Search files on their types? e.g. all DOC or even better all Documents? (well I just found you can search by extention ONLY in the browser search)
• Why is the look between Archive Explorer and Search so different?

I am sure we will hit more things to add to this list as we keep figuring out how to teach our users about this product. Right now we don't know what to tell them because nothing in the retreval side seems to be consistant or easy to use.

[JesusWept3 · Accepted solution]

When you search and just type in part of a work nothing is returned e.g. if you type "enterp" you will not get anything about "enterprise vault"

You should use wildcards in this instance, if you read the Help and searching from the webpage, you will see all the different special characters you can use
 

with all the search options there is no way to sort or display emails by the TO and FROM.

If you use Archive Explorer, you can either hit the From column in most folders or the To column in the sent folder.

If you use Search.asp, you can go to http://yourEVServer/EnterpriseVault/Search.asp?advanced
And then you can then sort by Author
 

What does the Basic Search actually search?

Pretty much all the columns that are used in a regular search.asp page
 

It would be nice if the Archive Explorer Search would dsiplay on the main screen what the current search terms are (since you can be searching for something and forget you added a criteria unless you look through each search tab).

You could make an Enhancement request of the Ideas section of the forum and anyone who agrees will upvote it, the more votes you get, the more likely it will be taken in to consideration by product management (unless its not feasible)

I guess though really what it comes down to is screen real estate, for the fact that you could fill all of those tabs out and have lots of search options, that it could cost a lot of room on screen to display that
 

Is there any way to make the Outlook Archive Explorer display all archives (including the file system archives)?

No, this was intentional for quite a lot of reasons, but mostly based around performance and also strange issues when people tried to do restore to mailbox, and also a lot of people got confused when they saw an FSA folder with the same name as their mailbox (This was their home share on the network), so those kind of things made it quicker and simpler to remove it.
 

Is there any way to do "OR" searches instead of only "AND"

If you go to Search.asp a "Contains Any Of" is an OR search
Contains Phrase is like a search with quotes
Contains All Of is an AND search
 

Why can't you sort/Search files on their types? e.g. all DOC or even better all Documents? (well I just found you can search by extention ONLY in the browser search)

Not entirely sure, i don't think Archive Explorer was meant to be a replacement for a regular windows explorer for file structures, it was just an addition to what AE's primary role is for and thats for Mailboxes, but again you can submit an enhancement request.

Why is the look between Archive Explorer and Search so different?

 Because they are two absolutely different pieces of code, one meaning to emulate an interface that is easily relatable to an OWA or Outlook user, whilst the other is there for a completely different purpose and that is to search for emails effectively for an end user, so their design meets their function

[BernardW]

Thank you for your responces. They are greatly appreciated. I understand what you are saying. I just don't totaly get the rational behind some of the design (as a new user and with a company of hesitant comptuer users). The product is GREAT for an administrator I am just not really pleased with it for my end users.

A couple comments about your comments.

 When you search and just type in part of a work nothing is returned e.g. if you type "enterp" you will not get anything about "enterprise vault"

You should use wildcards in this instance, if you read the Help and searching from the webpage, you will see all the different special characters you can use 

Well I understand what you are saying the issue is more with how my users will interprate how the search feature works. Most of them do not really want to use the computer and only do because they are forced to. I have a hard enough time just getting them to use the search feature in Outlook/Windows that I am not sure they will learn how to search using the normal SQL/Advanced methods.

 with all the search options there is no way to sort or display emails by the TO and FROM.

If you use Archive Explorer, you can either hit the From column in most folders or the To column in the sent folder.

If you use Search.asp, you can go to http://yourEVServer/EnterpriseVault/Search.asp?adv...
And then you can then sort by Author 

 I get what you are saying here. The problem I see is that right now I am trying to import a LOT of PST files and some of them have mixed users and sent and received items. Not being able to see the TO and the FROM also makes it hard to know who sent the email in a combined archive. I also tried to import the PSTs into shared archives and those don't even have a sent items location. Also when you search you can't see if it was an item you sent or received.

 Is there any way to do "OR" searches instead of only "AND"

If you go to Search.asp a "Contains Any Of" is an OR search
Contains Phrase is like a search with quotes
Contains All Of is an AND search 

I understand you can do an OR search using the "Contains Any Of" but you can not do a OR search between items. Such as Author OR Recipient

[JesusWept3]

gotcha,
Probably the best thing to do is to look in to Virtual Vault and Outlook Instant Search and not rely on the searh applications where possible

[Rob_Wilcox1]

I agree with JW2.. there are many aspects of the product, for all levels of users and their abilities, wants, and needs.  It's not to say that any of it is perfect, but I'm sure that there are ways that your users will find access to archived data, using Outlook, Virtual Vault, Instant Search, Search, Integrated Search, and WDS..  :)  Lots of options :)

[BernardW]

Rob,

I agree there will be a way for my users to search and use the product. I just wish the interface was a bit cleaner and streamlined so it would be easier to use.

This is just me talking from never having used or seen the product in production untill this week. So I am sure as I learn more about it and use it more it will become easier to use.

I guess my hope is that these comments might make theere way back to the development team/project team so that thing can get better in the future for NEW users/clients.

Bernard