Type of Search
This searches the question text and labels of the variables.
This searches the fields that describe the study or dataset.
Searching VARIABLE-level information
A
collection
is a group of datasets or studies.
When you select one or more collections to search,
and you indicate that you want to search for variable-level information
(which is the default),
the variable-level search screen appears.
These are the variable-level fields that are searched:
By default, the search will cover ALL of those fields, but you can select one specific field to search, by selecting it from the drop-down list. You can also select a specific combination of fields to search by using an advanced search technique to specify the field for each search term, as described in the advanced section below.
When the search results are displayed, you can see the full variable description for each variable found, by clicking on the 'View' button.
These are the study-level fields that are searched (if they exist for the study):
By default, the search will cover ALL of those fields, but you can select one specific field to search, by selecting it from the drop-down list. You can also select a specific combination of fields to search by using an advanced search technique to specify the field for each search term, as described in the advanced section below.
When the search results are displayed, you can see the full study description for a study by clicking on the 'View' button.
Select an individual dataset by clicking the empty box at the left of the dataset name.
After you have selected the collection(s) and dataset(s) you want to search, click on the button to 'Go to Next Step'.
healthThis query will find all the variables (or studies) that contain the word 'health'.
health insurance
This query will find all the variables (or studies) that contain
BOTH
the word "health" AND the word "insurance"
(unless you have checked the
option
to find ANY search word).
"health insurance"If you put the words in double quotes, you will find only the variables (or studies) that contain that exact phrase.
For more complicated specifications of this kind, see the advanced section below on Boolean Operators.
Note that the display of results may highlight words in fields other than the one you have selected. But that is just a bonus. The variable (or study) will not appear at all in the results unless it has a match in the field you have selected.
(For more complex use of specific fields in searches, see the advanced section below on Field Syntax.)
By default, all fields in a variable (or a study) are searched. However, you can limit your search to specific fields -- variable name, variable label, question text, or category labels. If you want to search only one field, you can specify that field on the drop-down list of fields, as described above.
However, the special field syntax allows you to search for specific terms in specific fields by typing (in the search box) the field name followed by a colon (":") and then the term you are looking for in that field. (Note that you cannot put any spaces before or after the colon.) The short names of the fields for variablesare:
The short names of the fields for study descriptions are:
(The names of the fields are also shown in square brackets in the drop-down list for default fields to search.)
For example, if you want to find a variable with 'health' in the variable label and with 'insurance' in the question text, you could use the query:
label:health text:insurance
If you want to find variables with 'health' both in the label and in the question text you could use:
label:health text:health
The default operator is AND, which means that a variable must contain ALL of the search terms. The default can be changed to OR, which means that a variable only has to contain ANY of the search terms, by clicking the appropriate radio button under the search box, as described above.
If you want to specify combinations of operators, you must use explicit Boolean operators. The supported Boolean operators are: 'AND', 'OR', and 'NOT'. (Note that Boolean operators must be written in ALL CAPS, in order to distinguish them from the search terms.)
The AND operator finds a match where both terms are found.
To search for variables that contain both the phrase "health insurance" and the word "doctor" you can use the query:
"health insurance" AND doctor
Since AND is the default operator (unless you've changed the radio button settings from "ALL" to "ANY") you can also just use:
"health insurance" doctor
The OR operator finds a match if either of the terms is found.
To search for variables that contain either "health insurance" or "doctor" use the query:
"health insurance" OR doctor
The NOT operator excludes variables that contain the term after NOT.
To search for variables that contain "health insurance" but not "doctor" use the query:
"health insurance" NOT doctor
Note: The NOT operator cannot be used with just one term. For example, the following search will not return any results:
NOT doctor
If you form a query that contains complex Boolean logic, you should use parentheses to make your query unambiguous. For example, instead of using:
health OR insurance AND doctor
you should make your intention clear by supplying parentheses.
If a match must contain either 'health' OR 'insurance', but must also contain 'doctor', then you would use:
(health OR insurance) AND doctor
If a match must contain either 'health' OR both 'insurance' and 'doctor', then you would use:
health OR (insurance AND doctor)
If you do not use parentheses, you will still get a result, but the rules for operator precedence are complicated and hard to remember. So it is better just to use parentheses.