Using a multi-value search

The Multi-value Search feature in Broadstripes CRM allows you to search for multiple values in a single field using a special parentheses syntax. Instead of creating separate search rules for each value, you can combine them into one efficient search statement.

Key benefits:

• Search for multiple values at once
• Cleaner, more concise search queries
• Faster than creating multiple individual search rules
• Works with any searchable field

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Basic syntax

The multi-value search uses parentheses with comma-separated values:

field=operator(value1, value2, value3)

Components:

• field: Any searchable field name (e.g., city, state, employer, name)
• operator: Standard search operators (=, :, ==, !=, !:, !==)
• parentheses: Wrap your list of values in ( and )
• commas: Separate each value with a comma

Multi-word values must be wrapped in quotes.

membertype = ("Active Member", "Retired Member", "Non-Member") is equivalent to membertype = "Active Member" OR membertype = "Retired Member" OR membertype = "Non-Member"

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Traditional ‘OR’ search vs multi-value search

Traditional approach To find contacts in multiple cities, you’d create multiple rules:

city=Boston OR city=Cambridge OR city=Somerville OR city=Medford OR city=Malden

Multi-value approach Much simpler and cleaner:

city=(Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Malden)

Benefits of multi-value:

• ✓ Shorter, more readable queries
• ✓ Easier to modify (add/remove values)
• ✓ Less prone to syntax errors

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How it works: OR vs AND logic

The behavior of multi-value search depends on the operator you use:

Positive operators → OR logic When using positive operators (=, :, ==), values are combined with OR logic:

city=(Boston, Cambridge, Somerville)

Meaning: Find records where city equals Boston OR Cambridge OR Somerville

Negative operators → AND logic When using negative operators (!=, !:, !==), values are combined with AND logic:

city!=(Boston, Cambridge, Somerville)

Meaning: Find records where city is NOT Boston AND NOT Cambridge AND NOT Somerville

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Basic examples

Example 1: Search multiple cities Find contacts in Boston, New York, or Chicago:

city=(Boston, "New York", Chicago)

Example 2: Search multiple states Find contacts in Connecticut or Massachusetts:

state=(CT, MA)

Example 3: Search multiple employers Find contacts working at specific companies:

employer=(Acme, Globex, Initech)

Example 4: Exclude multiple values Find contacts NOT in certain cities:

city!=(Boston, Cambridge)

Example 5: Search by multiple names Find specific people:

name=(John Smith, Jane Doe, Bob Johnson)

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Handling values with commas

If a value itself contains commas (like company names or addresses), wrap it in quotes:

employer=("Dewey, Cheetham, and Howe", "Smith, Jones & Associates", Acme)

How it works:

• Values inside quotes are treated as a single value
• Only commas outside quotes separate values
• Use double quotes " to wrap values

More examples:

# Company names with commas
employer=("ABC, Inc.", "XYZ Corporation", "123 Industries, LLC")

# Addresses with commas
address=("123 Main St, Suite 100", "456 Oak Ave, Floor 2")

# Names with commas (Last, First format)
name=("Smith, John", "Doe, Jane", "Johnson, Bob")

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Advanced use cases

Combining with other search rules

Multi-value search works seamlessly with other search criteria using AND/OR logic:

Example: Find contacts in multiple cities AND working at specific employers:

city=(Boston, Cambridge) employer=(Acme, Globex)

Example: Find contacts in multiple states OR with specific job titles:

state=(MA, CT) OR title=(Manager, Director)

Nested searches with subqueries

You can combine multi-value syntax with subqueries using square brackets:

employer=[state=(CT, MA, RI)]

Meaning: Find contacts whose employer’s state is Connecticut, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island

Complex organization searches

employer=("Acme Corporation", "Globex Industries", "Initech, LLC")
employer.city=(Boston, Cambridge, Somerville)

Meaning: Find contacts at those specific companies located in those cities

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Real-world scenarios

Scenario 1: Regional sales team Find all contacts in New England states:

state=(MA, CT, RI, NH, VT, ME)

Scenario 2: Multiple account managers Find contacts assigned to specific account managers:

account_manager=(John Smith, Jane Doe, Bob Wilson)

Scenario 3: Event participation Find contacts who attended specific events:

memberactivity=(Summer Conference, Fall Meetup, Winter Summit)

Scenario 4: Exclude test data Exclude contacts from test companies:

employer!=(Test Company, Demo Corp, Sample Inc)

Scenario 5: Metropolitan area search Find contacts in a metro area with multiple city names:

city=(Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Malden)

Scenario 6: Industry-specific search Find contacts in specific industries:

industry=(Technology, Software, IT Services, Computer Hardware)

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Common pitfalls

❌ Forgetting quotes for values with commas

✗ employer=(Smith, Jones & Associates, Acme)
   # Will be split into 3 values: "Smith", "Jones & Associates", "Acme"

✓ employer=("Smith, Jones & Associates", Acme)
   # Correctly creates 2 values

❌ Mixing up OR and AND logic

# This finds contacts in Boston OR Cambridge
city=(Boston, Cambridge)

# This finds contacts NOT in Boston AND NOT in Cambridge
city!=(Boston, Cambridge)

# If you want "NOT in Boston OR NOT in Cambridge", you need:
city!=Boston OR city!=Cambridge

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Quick reference

Syntax cheat sheet

# Basic multi-value (OR logic)
field=(value1, value2, value3)

# Negated multi-value (AND logic)
field!=(value1, value2, value3)

# With quoted values
field=("value with, comma", value2, "value with spaces")

# Contains operator
field:(value1, value2)

# Exact match operator
field==(value1, value2)

# Not contains
field!:(value1, value2)

Operator reference

Operator	Logic	Example	Meaning
=	OR	city=(Boston, Cambridge)	Matches whole words in any order - finds Boston OR Cambridge
:	OR	employer:(Acme, Globex)	Matches word fragments in any order - finds Acme OR Globex (including “AcmeCorp”, “GlobexCom”)
==	OR	state==(MA, CT)	Matches exactly - finds MA OR CT
!=	AND	city!=(Boston, Cambridge)	Excludes whole words - does NOT contain Boston AND NOT contain Cambridge
!:	AND	employer!:(Test, Demo)	Excludes word fragments - does NOT contain Test AND NOT contain Demo
!==	AND	state!==(NY, NJ)	Excludes exact matches (not case sensitive) - is NOT exactly NY AND NOT exactly NJ