// guide
Universal Search guide
Follow the chapters in order, from the first install to everyday use. Each page tells you what to open in Business Central and what to fill in.
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- 01Set up global searchSet up Universal Search, the free global search app for Business Central: install, start indexing, assign permissions and search. Activation is optional.
- 02RequirementsWhat Universal Search needs before you install: Business Central online 28.0 or later, Essentials or Premium, no dependencies, and two permission sets.
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- 01Install the appInstall the free Universal Search app for Business Central from Microsoft AppSource, and see what installation sets up and why indexing is still off afterwards.
- 02Assign permissionsAssign the two Universal Search permission sets: BAA SEARCH ADM for the people who set the app up, and BAA SEARCH for every user who searches.
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- 01Activate the licenseRun the Universal Search assisted setup to activate the free 50-year license, or decline it. Search works the same either way. Covers sandboxes too.
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- 01Start indexingUniversal Search finds nothing until the index is built. Choose Start Indexing to turn indexing on and schedule the background job that updates it every minute.
- 02Choose what to indexChoose which Business Central tables and fields Universal Search can find: add any Text or Code field, then set its weight, phonetic matching and record filter.
- 03Build the index nowBuild the Universal Search index now with Process Now, rebuild a table after a settings change, and read the Pending rebuild, Active and Error statuses.
- 04Set result limitsSet how many results Universal Search shows per page, cap results per table in the All view, limit index size per table, and pause indexing when needed.
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- 01Search from Tell MeSearch every indexed Business Central table from one box: open Universal Search from Tell Me, type what you remember, and see results grouped by table.
- 02Fuzzy searchFuzzy search for Business Central: find customers, vendors and items despite typos, missing spaces, reversed word order, fragments and sound-alike names.
- 03Use the result listNarrow Universal Search results with filter chips, load more with Show more results, and open the record's own card with a click or the keyboard.
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- 01How ranking worksHow Universal Search finds and ranks records: the background index, the layered matching passes, the score formula, the per-table cap and permission checks.
- 02Tune relevanceTune Universal Search relevance: weight identifiers and names higher, use phonetic matching on short name fields, and keep blocked records out of the index.
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- 01Monitor indexingMonitor Universal Search indexing with the Status, Indexed Records and Last Error columns, keep the background job healthy, and pause indexing safely.
- 02TroubleshootingNo results in Universal Search? Indexing was probably never started. Fix that and the other common problems: sandbox activation, permissions and rows in Error.
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