How Saved Searches Take Analytics to the Next Level
NetSuite offers impeccable analytics, allowing customers to gain meaningful insight into company performance and make quick, confident decisions. Various analytics tools are easy to use and do not require programming knowledge or developers. These features also come standard in NetSuite with no added cost to customers.
While NetSuite offers hundreds of reports out of the box, there are limits as to how reports can be customized and their results displayed. Reports offer a point-in-time analysis of data and are less flexible, by design, when it comes to defining criteria and output.
A saved search, on the other hand, is a reusable search definition allowing you to answer all sorts of business questions. With a search, you have the ability to query the exact data you need by defining filters and how the results display.
Using Saved Searches
Below are 5 key features of Saved Searches:
Real-Time Data
With NetSuite, all data resides in a single source. In other words, you get a single version of the truth. Unlike a report, a search will reflect data in real-time as opposed to a defined time frame. Virtually any kind of record in NetSuite can be the basis of, or included in, a saved search and you can display a lot of information about a specific subset of records. You can also define highlighting rules for results that meet specific conditions. Similar to reports, saved searches have the ability to be exported via Excel, CSV or PDF formats.
Advanced Filtered Criteria
A standard search filter selects results based on individual records’ values for a field. You can also utilize expressions within your search criteria for more advanced searches. When you create expressions, you can define a string of criteria and other logic that produces the data as you require it.
Complex Formulas
You can use formulas when defining both the criteria and results of a search. Once the search is run, the results are based on the calculated value of the formula field. Formulas are defined in SQL function format and reference the related NetSuite field IDs of the values you are including in your calculation.
Ad Hoc Email Capability
Like results, saved search results can be shared with other users and results can be sent on demand or scheduled via email to selected recipients. A unique feature of a saved search is that you can also send emails to recipients when result records are created or updated without needing to rerun the search.
Set Reminders
Saved searches can either be private or made public to others in the organization who have access to the data. The results can be configured to display in portlets or saved as shortcuts on dashboards, providing easy access to key metrics. When a search is made available for reminders, they can help drive daily tasks for users and call attention to critical data.
Common Applications for the Saved Search Function
The following are some examples of standard Customer Saved Search Use Cases:
- Requirement: A client utilizing the contract renewals module wanted a search (saved to shortcuts) that would pull pertinent data from both the client and contract item records.
- Requirement: A client who integrated Salesforce with NetSuite needed a dashboard search to show all new opportunities created as sales orders in NetSuite for review prior to approval.
- Requirement: A client utilizing the contract renewals module wanted 3 reminders to show contracts that expired within 30, 60, and 90 days.
- Requirement: A client requested a dashboard search to monitor items with zero quantity on-hand or committed on-order.
Prophet One Can Help
When using a complex platform such as NetSuite, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the different functions at your disposal. In order to ensure your business gets the most out of NetSuite, you’ll need expert assistance from a dedicated partner who can help you navigate the platform. At Prophet One, we have you covered.
Our exclusive Client-First Integration Approach™ ensures you have a team of experts available at all times to implement the right systems for your business goals. We’ll take the time to understand your business challenges and your current technology environment. We’ll use this information to implement a customized solution that allows your business to thrive.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation.