Tips for Searching the Database

The objective is to narrow down your search to a small number of records, rather than scrolling through pages and pages of records.

To scroll up and down a multi-page display, use the   or buttons.  You can also use the Go To Page feature at the bottom of the screen.  Press the down arrow and you will be shown how many pages there are in the selection.  Just highlight and click on one to be taken straight to that page.

You can also change the order of the selected records by highlighting a column heading and clicking once to sort the records from A first (descending order) or click again to sort the records from Z first (ascending order).  For example, entering taylor in the Quick Search box will display multiple pages of records, and if you highlight/click the Forenames column heading, the records will be re-sorted to display from Aaron to Zylvia.  This feature can also be used effectively with date columns, where you may want to see the entries with the latest Paper Date first, for example.

Return to Search

Quick Search Enter a name, location, etc Will display all records where the requested characters appear in ANY field.  
For example, enter HALL - will also display HALLiwell, SHALLcrass, MarsHALL, etc, and these may appear as Last Name, Forenames, Maiden Name, Location, Comments.

Note that entering names that are also locations (such as HAMILTON) will generate a large number of records.

Useful for finding a record where the name is relatively rare, and thus there is likely to be a small number of matches.  
Also useful for finding a Family Name that is embedded in Forenames and/or Maiden Names, or "Formerly names" which have been put in the Comments field.

Filters Click the   button to show the Filter options Used for the targeting of search criteria on a field by field basis to ensure the number of matches to be displayed is small.

You can enter the filtering criteria required for a single field or for multiple fields.

For example, Last Name EQUAL Smith, AND Forenames EQUAL John Henry, will display any records that match these criteria EXACTLY.  
BUT it won't show John Smith or Henry John Smith, or Johnson Henry Smith.  
You would need to use Forenames LIKE and add a wild card character (%) immediately after John (John%) to find John Henry Smith and Johnson Henry Smith 
or LIKE and %John to find Henry John Smith.  
To be really sure, use LIKE and enter %John% to pick up all Forenames with John in the record - Henry John, William Johnson, John David, Johnson Henry, etc.

If you do not know the full name (e.g. you think it was Kath, but don't know if it was Kathleen or Katherine/Kathryn) then use the search as Forenames LIKE and %kath% which will display all records with kath anywhere - such as Joan Katherine, Kathy, Katharine Emily, etc.  
BUT it won't find Kate.  You would need to use Forenames LIKE and %kat% to include Kate as well as Mary Katarina, Joan Katherine, Kathy, Katharine Emily, etc.  

Selections by date are also possible using the GREATER THAN and LESS THAN operators to mean "later than" or "prior to" a specified date.  Note the specified date has to use the Year-Month-Day (YYYY-MM-DD) format.  Thus, selecting Death Date and GREATER THAN 2004-06-12 AND LESS THAN 2004-06-20 will show all entries where Death Date is 13 to 19 June 2004.   If this is added (AND) to a filter selection of Last Name EQUAL smith, then all Smith records where the Death Date is 13 to 19 June 2004 will be displayed.

Wild Card Characters The % character Means "include any characters in the field that follow or precede the % character".  
For example, selecting Surname and LIKE and entering John% in the filter will include John, Johns, Johnson, Johnsson, Johnston, Johnstone, etc in the records displayed.  
Similarly, including %John% in the filter for Forenames will display records with Forenames with John in the record - Henry John, William Johnson, John David, Johnson Henry, etc.

Useful when the correct spelling is not known.

 

  The underscore character (_)

Means "include any character in this position in the field".  For example,  selectingSurname and LIKE and entering Ols_n will mean that Olsen and Olson will be displayed.

 

    They can be used together.  For example, selecting LIKE and entering Gl_n% will mean that Glen, Glenda, Glenn, Glenys, Glyn, Glynn, etc will be displayed. 
Remove the Filter Click the button  to remove the current filter

 

All filter criteria will be cleared and the default display will return - that is, the first X records in the database table.