Search Tips

The search engine for this database automatically stems words.

A search for 'tile' will find records with the words tile and also tiles
A search for 'tiles' will not find records with only the word tile (no ‘s’)
A search for 'waterproofing' will not find records with only the word waterproof in the record

Initially, choose one or two words to search rather than a phrase.
If your returned set has too many records, add another word to the search terms.

When 2 or more search terms are entered, ALL terms must be present in the record for it to be listed in the search results. In a normal search, all terms will be present but, in any of the fields. In an advanced search, all terms will be present in the selected field.

The terms can be in any order and not necessarily adjacent to each other within the record.

'waterproof membrane' will return the same search results as 'membrane waterproof'

'vinyl wall' will return records with
Product names: vinyl flooring, wall paper
as well as
Product names: vinyl wallcovering

The ArcLib search engine will return records where the entered search terms are found in ANY fields. The term could be in the title, supplier, product names, contact names or anywhere else.

A search for 'green' will return records for:
Greenlea Tiles
Where Mark Green is a sales representative
Where a product listed is Bowling Greens

The Advanced Search allows you to narrow down the search by limiting the fields where the terms may be present.

Finding Decor Systems Pty Ltd is much easier when the search 'decor systems' is limited to the Supplier Field in the Advanced Search, rather than anywhere in the record with a Normal Search.

AND

This requires both terms to be present for a record to be listed in search results
for example: 'textile' in the Product Name field AND 'yes' in the Environmental Claims field

OR

Either term can be present for a record to be returned in the search results.
for example: carpet OR rug; stone OR rock OR pebble

NOT

This operator will exclude records which would otherwise overwhelm the results. NOT is a powerful tool—use it carefully! It has the potential to exclude relevant articles from the search results.
for example: vacuum NOT cleaner

Don't use words like 'the', 'system', product', 'and' as search terms. The database will return too many results.

Single letters will also return too many results as the database will try to find every record with a word that starts with that letter. If the brand name or supplier name has initials in it, run them together.
For example:
enter 'jd macdonald' not j d macdonald

Punctuation: The database treats punctuation as if it were a space. Asking the database to find 'water-proof' is the same as asking it to find 'water proof' which is the same as 'water' AND 'proof'

Hyphenated names are entered in the database as a single word as well as two words. Entering the term 'kezu' will find the company name "Ke-Zu"