- General Tips
- Keyword Searching vs Advanced Searching
- Truncation
- Wildcards
- Make sure that your search words are spelled correctly.
- Try using synonyms. For example, use automobile instead of car.
- Make your search more general. For example, use vehicle instead of car.
- Try using the keyword search. (See Keyword Searching vs Advanced Searching)
- Try using wildcard characters in the search word to get variations of the word. (See Wildcards)
- Make sure, if you use abreviations, to truncate at punctuation to match both formats. (See Truncation)
| Keyword Searching is Broad |
Advanced Searching is Specific |
- Your search word will be looked for in the Company's Name, SIC Codes, and NAISC Codes.
- The advantage is: you'll usually find something - though it may not be the most relevant record for the search word.
- The disadvantage is: your words may not describe what you are looking for, using the acknowledged terms.
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- Your search words will be looked for in the corresponding fields of the database.
- The advantage is: you can search for the most relevant records.
- The disadvantage is: you may need to know some specialized vocabulary or terminology.(SIC Codes, NAICS Codes)
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To find all variations of a word, type the 'fixed' part of the word and let the rest blank. The database will return all records matching the word, as well as all the records containing the word.
ex. 'environment' -> 'environmental', 'environmentalist', 'environments'
ex. 'Ross rd' -> 'Ross rd', 'Ross rd.'
ex. 'Ross' -> 'Ross rd', 'Ross rd.', 'Ross st'
Wildcards are symbols used to find variations within a word. These variations can be any length(%) or a fixed length(_), depending on which character you use.
ex. 'b_t' -> 'bat', 'but', 'bit'
ex. 'b__t' -> 'boat', 'boot', 'bolt'
ex. 'b%t' -> 'boat', 'bat', 'bassinet'
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