SharePoint Search out of the box for a word or two isn't that powerful. When combined with powerful properties and operators, search can really sing. To the informed user there are simple ways of getting the search results your looking for by learning some KQL the Keyword Query Language. In this session we spend most of the time in demo in the search interface, but these slides contain lots of tips and tricks for better search for users.

1. SharePoint Search Tips and Tricks
Power User Search in SharePoint 2013
Joel Oleson
Director Enterprise Search Strategy
BA Insight
@joeloleson
http://collabshow.com

2. Microsoft’s go-to ISV for
Enterprise Search
Focused on Search and
SharePoint since 2004
Search Industry Leader
About Joel Oleson
• Director of Search
Strategy, BA Insight
• First SharePoint admin
• Top social media
influencer
Who Am I?
Passionate About
• Search
• SharePoint
• Search-based
applications
• Community
• Travel
Connect
@joeloleson
CollabShow.com
TravelingEpic.com

3. Agenda
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5. SharePoint Algorithm

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7. Killer Apps are Search Apps
Enterprise search projects often fail because they do not meet users’
expectations and do not deliver a remarkable user experience.

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71% percent of Company executives say Search is VITAL
or Essential to their day to day business…
Why do only 18% have cross repository search
capabilities?
- AIIM 2014 Findability Survey

10. Search Tips
• Word, Words vs. Phrase
• Boolean
• Inclusion and Exclusion
• Proximity

11. Search User Tips
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12. Boolean
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13. Inclusion and Exclusion Operators
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14. Proximity
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15. Parenthesis: Building Complex Queries
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16. KQL – Keyword Query Language
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17. KQL – Keyword Query Language
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18. Quiz… What is the difference
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19. Quiz
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A.
B.
C.
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20. Dashes, Underscores or Spaces…
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21. Meaningful Titles, Folders, Sites & File Names
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22. Wild Card Search
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If the product can’t be found, does the
product exist? If the feature can’t be found,
does the feature exist?
34 percent of the sites don’t return useful
results when users search for a model
number or misspell just a single character in
the product title.”
- 2014 study by Baynard Institute

24. Quiz…
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25. Search Tips Cont.
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Is Metadata more powerful than content?
Stewart Baker, former general counsel of
the NSA, said last year: "Metadata
absolutely tells you everything about
somebody's life. If you have enough
metadata, you don't really need content."

27. Property Operators
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28. What’s wrong? What will happen?
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29. Query Custom Managed Properties
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30. Quiz
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31. Gotchas
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32. XRANK
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33. Searches Need to be Precise for Best Results
Give me a search box
and I will formulate my own query to find it
“sales forecast” OR (“sales“ NEAR “forecast”) AND (author:”William
Zuckermann") AND (format:”XLS”) OR (format:”XLSX”)
Users with a combination of high technical / high domain expertise
will achieve the best search results.
search

34. The New Role of Taxonomy – Noise Reduction
Eliminate Noise from Queries

35. Key Takeaways
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36. Questions!
Joel.Oleson@bainsight.com

37. Search Tips References
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http://office.microsoft.com/client/15/help/home?Shownav=true&lcid=1033&ns=SPOSTANDARD&helpID=SearchTips&ver=16
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http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ff394509(v=office.14).aspx
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http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj163973(v=office.15).aspx
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http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263089.aspx
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http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/tips-for-effective-searches-
HA010241114.aspx#BMha10241114_sectipsonpropertiesinsearc
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38. Questions!
Joel.Oleson@bainsight.com