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Advanced People Search

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Contents

Introduction

The Advanced Search feature allows you to easily filter through records and narrow down lists, to help you be more efficient while working with ChMeetings.

It is available within the People module.

You can always access the feature by clicking the Advanced Search button on the top right of your screen, next to the Search field. 

This will open the Advanced Search panel, where you can see all the available filters and options. Simply click on a filter to expand or collapse it.  

General Search Filters

The filters you can use within the Advanced Search are based on People profile fields, both default and custom, and include a wide range of criteria to choose from. For example, you can filter by address, age range, gender, event attendance, giving, and more. 

Search For Specific Filters To Use

Use the Search By box to look for specific filters that you want to apply to your list of people. As the list of search parameters is extensive, this helps you find what you are looking for much faster.

Search For Children Or Parents

You can easily find children or parents, using the Search Type filter. This returns either the children or parents of the people matching your search. The "All" option is selected by default and means that you are not using the search type field, so your results will refer to the people matching your search, not to their children or parents.

This feature is particularly useful when you want to get a list of parents of a group of children, or of children who have attended a particular event. You can also communicate directly to parents or children by selecting them specifically, as explained here. 

Here is how it works:

  • First, select a Search Type that determines what you'd like to find: either Children or Parents. 
  • Next, add any filters you need. These can be, for example, someone's name, a group, or an age range.
  • Lastly, click Apply to run your search. 

The results that will be returned will show the children or parents of the people who match your search. 

Let’s look at an example where we want to find the parents of a group of children.

  • First, we select Parents as the Search Type.
  • Then, we use the Groups filter, where we choose “In Groups”, then find the group we need. 
  • Lastly, we click Apply, to run the search.

Our search will not return the children in the group, but rather the parents of those respective children. 

 

Search For Custom Profile Fields And File Attachments

If you have configured custom profile fields, you can use them in your search. This can be achieved from the Additional Fields filter, where you can find all the custom fields you added. 

If you have added a file attachment field to People profiles, you can use this section to also search for people who do or don’t have a file attached. 

Search For Users And Roles

Users and roles can be filtered from the corresponding section of the Advanced Search panel. 

You can choose to see both users (people who have a ChMeetings account) and non-users (people who do not have an account, only a profile record).

If you search for users, you will have the option to select their role and status. The status refers to the stage which their account is at. There is also an “Invite Failed” status filter, which you can use to find people who could not be invited, via email and/or text message 

Search For People With Missing Data

The Missing Data filter allows you to find people who do not have data in specific fields These fields are: Address Line, Birthdate, Email, Home Phone, Photo. Any custom fields you have configured will also be available to filter by. 

Saved Searches

If you will be using a specific filter combination frequently, you can save it for later use. 

Simply click Save Search, at the top of your panel. Give your search a name, then click on Save.

When you want to use a saved search, simply select it from the list, at the top of your search panel. This will automatically apply the filters you saved. You can make changes to the search if you like, and you can save it separately from your current selection. 

At the moment, saved searches cannot be edited. If you need to update a saved search, please make the changes you require, save it with these changes, then delete the initial search.

To delete a saved search, please start by clicking the Gear (⚙) icon next to the list of saved searches.

This will take you to a list of saved searches, where you can click the red recycle icon to delete it.  Please confirm your choice to delete the search, or cancel it if you change your mind. Please note that deleted searches cannot be restored.

Custom Reports Using Advanced People Search

You can use the Advanced People Search feature to build customized reports. Here is an in-depth guide to every filter available within the Advanced Search. 

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