KLAS offers a variety of powerful search options for you to choose from. These different search types can be used in Queries, Book Searches, and more simply by choosing the corresponding Search Operator.
But do you know what all of the query and search operators in KLAS mean? Here's a cheat sheet!
- Download for print: Cheat Sheet - Query Operators
Equals
Find in: Book Search and Queries
How it works: Finds only exact matches to the search term.
Use for: Exact searches where you know exactly what you’re looking for, such as looking up a book by KLAS ID. Search on checkboxes by Equals TRUE (for checked) or FALSE (for blank).
Does Not Equal
Find in: Queries
How it works: Finds everything other than exact matches to the search term.
Use for: Excluding something specific from the query results, such as an exception Patron Type or a certain city.
Begins
Find in: Book Search, Queries, and Find
How it works: Finds everything that equals or starts with the search term. For example, a begins search for "Pat" would return "Patterson" and "Patrick," but not "Kirkpatrick."
Use for: Quickly entering the first part of a long search term or entering only as much as you are sure of the spelling. This is especially useful for author or patron names.
Is Between
Find in: Queries
How it works: Finds everything between two search terms. Note: For the range “A - Z,” “Zebra” will not be returned. For “A - ZZ,” “Zebra” will be but “ZZ Top” will not. Numbers are ordered before letters.
Use for: Finding a range, such as an age range or a set of patrons with last names in the first half of the alphabet. You can also use this to search for all patrons who have anything for that field by entering the entire range: 0 to ZZZZZ.
Is Blank
Find in: Queries
How it works: Finds everything where that field was left blank.
Use for: Checking for incomplete records or patrons who do not have an email address.
Keyword
Find in: Book Search
How it works: Finds everything that has the search term as a whole word somewhere in a longer string. For Example: if you search for “Every,” you will find “With Every Breath” but not “Everything Nice.”
Use for: Searching for long titles by one or two words, searching for authors by first name.
Matches
Find in: Query
How it works: Finds everything that has the search term anywhere in it.
Use for: Similar to Keyword, but the search term doesn’t need to be a whole word. This is a good, general search—however, it can be slower that more specific search types.
In
Find in: Query
How it works: Finds everything that Equals any of the listed search terms. Separate each term with a comma and space. For example: “PA, PY”
Use for: Searching a few specifics, such as specific patron types or several area codes.
Not In
Find in: Query
How it works: Finds everything that Does Not Equal any of the listed search terms.
Use for: Excluding a few specifics from your search. For example, patron languages that are not English or Spanish.
