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Person Index Rules - Customizing Person Record Search Criteria

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Records can be found in the search bar in the top right hand corner of all Slate pages.

The default search criteria includes:

  • Name
  • Contact Information (Email address, Phone, SSN)
  • Reference ID

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Oftentimes, you want to find person records using alternative values, such as their ID in another system. You can accomplish this using a person index rule.

Step 1. Create the Rule
  1. Navigate to the Rules tool inside of Database.
  2. Click "New Rule"
  3. Enter a "Name".
  4. Select "Configurable Joins - Person" for the Base setting.
  5. Select "Person Index" for the Type setting.
  6. Specify a "Folder", if desired.
  7. Set a "Priority", such as "1" if this is your only Person Index rule.
  8. Set "Status" to "Preview".
  9. Click "Save".
  10. Adjust the "Action" setting to "Replace Values from Formula"
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Step 2. Configure the Rule
In the "Action" section, your next steps are to add one or more exports that will be used to search for records by and then reference them in the "Formula" setting. Optionally, you can add filters to your rule if some records should have different index criteria than others (this is not common). We've outlined three common examples of person index rules below: 

For a Single Field

  1. Add an export for the field that the search bar will use to find records. Note the name of the export (e.g., "Person Colleague ID").
  2. In the "Formula" section, reference the export from above by typing in "@" and then the export's name. You will want to replace all spaces with dashes (e.g., "@Person-Colleague-ID").
  3. Save the rule.
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For Two or More Fields

This approach uses a subquery export which obviates the need to account for records that have a NULL value in one or more exports used to drive the person index rule.

  1. Add a subquery export.
  2. Specify a "Name", like "Index".
  3. Select the "Output" setting of "Concatenate".
  4. Specify a "Row Separator", like a space.
  5. Add the desired exports.
  6. Save the subquery export.
  7. In the "Formula" section, reference the export from above by typing in "@" and then the export's name. You will want to replace all spaces with dashes (e.g., "@Index").
  8. Save the rule.

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Dynamically for All Unique for Merging Fields

The following example is a robust approach to grabbing any values a record has in a unique for merging field to drive the person index rule. 

  1. Add a subquery export.
  2. Specify a "Name", like "Index".
  3. Select the "Output" setting of "Concatenate".
  4. Specify a "Row Separator", like a space.
  5. Join from "Person" to "Field Values".
  6. Join from "Field Values" to "Lookup Field".
  7. Add the "Unique for Merging" filter from the "Lookup Field" join and select "Value contains a unique ID which identifies a single record for merging".
  8. Add the "Store Value" filter from the "Lookup Field" join and select "Store Value".
  9. Optionally, add the "Type" filter from the "Lookup Field" join and select "Real", "Integer", and "Text/Unspecified".
  10. Add the "Values" export from the "Field Values" join.
  11. Save the subquery export.
  12. In the "Formula" section, reference the export from above by typing in "@" and then the export's name. You will want to replace all spaces with dashes (e.g., "@Index").
  13. Save the rule.

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Step 3. Testing and Activating the Rule
  1. Select Database on the top navigation bar
  2. Select Rules.
  3. Select "Preview Actions" on the right.
  4. Enter a test record that has a value in one of the fields your person index rule references and select "Person Record".
  5. Evaluate the results. If the rules do not return what you're expecting, then you will need to revise them; otherwise, proceed to the next step.
  6. Navigate to the person index rule.
  7. Activate the rule.
  8. Perform a Retroactive Refresh.

  Tip On the Tables

Slate stores the person index on the [person] table in the [index] column, [person].[index].

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    Kathy Curry

    The instructions for configuring the rule for multiple fields was very helpful, except for one thing. You need to add a literal export separator (like a space) between each export. The instructions to Specify a "Row Separator", like a space, apply to the third scenario, Dynamically for All Unique for Merging Fields, or anything that joins multiple rows to make a list of index fields (like all application ref IDs for a person).

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