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Searching, Marking, and Filtering

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  • Updated on May 22, 2026
  • Published on Mar 2, 2026
  • 12 minute(s) read
  • AF
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Feature Overview

Searching, Marking and Filtering provides three interconnected tools for finding master data records based on specification criteria, marking selected records across sessions, and filtering list views to show only the records that matter for a specific task. Together they let users navigate large item catalogues by specification rather than by item number or description.

Specification Search is a dedicated search page where you enter specification criteria — selecting values for one or more Information Codes — and the system returns all items that match. The search understands Logical Dependencies: when you select a value for a driver code, the lookups for dependent codes are automatically filtered to show only valid combinations. Results can be marked directly from the search page and the filtered list is passed back to the Item List.

Specification Search String is a fast, keyword-based search that builds and queries a pre-calculated search string per item. The search string is composed of the item number, description, variant codes, vendor name, and the values of any Information Codes that are marked for inclusion (via Include in Specification Search on the Information Code Card). When a user types keywords in the Item No. field on a Sales Line or Purchase Line, the app intercepts the input and filters items whose search strings contain all the entered terms simultaneously — allowing users to type part of a description, a material, a colour, or a vendor name directly in the document line No. field to find the right item. If exactly one item matches, it is filled in automatically. If multiple items match, a lookup page opens showing all matching items with their specification values.

Mark Master Data is a set of actions on the Item List that allow users to tag a group of items, persist that selection across navigation, and filter other pages and tools to show only the marked items. Marks are stored per-user and remain until explicitly cleared. The actions include adding marks to selected items, removing marks from selected items, clearing all marks, and adding or removing marks based on the BOM hierarchy of selected items — which marks all component items in the production structure.

Important: The Specification Search String feature — including the keyword search on Sales and Purchase Lines, the Specification Search setup, and the Calculate Item Search String report — is only available when the Specification Search feature is enabled in Abakion Feature Management. Enable this feature before configuring the search string or using keyword entry on document lines.

Key Facts

Area Detail
Feature prerequisite Specification Search must be enabled in Abakion Feature Management for keyword search to work
Specification Search Criteria-based search with Information Code value filters — opened from the Item List
Specification Search String Keyword search across a pre-calculated search string; active on Sales Line and Purchase Line No. fields
Applicable document lines Sales Lines (all sales document types) and Purchase Lines (all purchase document types)
Mark Master Data Per-user, persistent marking of items; marks survive navigation; usable as a filter on other pages
Mark from BOM Add or remove marks based on a selected item's production BOM structure
Search templates Specification Search criteria can be saved as reusable templates
Calculate Item Search String Report that builds or rebuilds the search string for all items — must be run before keyword search returns results
Enable per code Requires Include in Specification Search to be enabled on each Information Code Card
Integration points Information Codes, Logical Dependencies, Information Matrix (filter to marked items), Hierarchies (BOM-based marking)

Getting Started

To configure and use the Specification Search String:

  1. Ensure the Specification Search feature is enabled in Abakion Feature Management.
  2. Open the Information Code Card for each code whose values should be searchable. Enable Include in Specification Search on each relevant code.
  3. Open Item Search Setup and configure which fields to include in the search string (item number, description, vendor, variants, etc.).
  4. Run the Calculate Item Search String report (available from the Item List or the Master Data Information navigation). This builds the initial search strings for all existing items — without running this report, keyword search will return no results.
  5. On a Sales Order or Purchase Order line, click the No. field and type a keyword (e.g. a colour, material, or partial description). If a single match is found, the item is filled in automatically. If multiple matches exist, a lookup opens showing all matching items.

To use Specification Search:

  1. Open the Item List and choose Master Data Information → Search by Master Data.
  2. The Specification Search page opens. Enter values for the specification criteria you want to filter by.
  3. Choose Search Match (or press Ctrl+S) to execute the search.
  4. The results appear in the Match section. Use the Add Mark action to mark the matching items.
  5. The Item List is filtered to the marked items.

To use Mark Master Data:

  1. On the Item List, select one or more items.
  2. Choose Mark Master Data → Add Mark to mark the selected items.
  3. Navigate away — marks persist for your user session.
  4. Return to the Item List; marked items are highlighted. Use standard BC filters to show only marked items.
  5. Choose Mark Master Data → Clear All Marks to reset.

Related Features

Specification Search evaluates Logical Dependencies during criteria entry — selecting a value for a driver code filters the available options for dependent codes. Information Codes with Include in Specification Search enabled contribute their values to the Specification Search String; the Item Search Setup controls which additional fields (item number, description, vendor, variants) are included. Mark Master Data can also be triggered as the result of a Specification Search — the search results are marked and the Item List is filtered accordingly. The Information Matrix can be filtered to marked items, making the combination of Specification Search → Mark → Information Matrix a common workflow for bulk specification editing. Hierarchies underpin the BOM-based marking actions, which follow the production BOM structure to identify and mark all component items.

User Stories

US-01: Search for items by specification criteria

As a Sales Order Processor
I want to find all items with Material = "Stainless Steel" and Certification = "CE"
So that I can quickly identify products that meet a customer's technical requirements

Setup:

  1. Open the Item List and choose Master Data Information → Search by Master Data.
  2. In the Specification Search page, set Material = STAINLESS-STEEL and Certification = CE.
  3. Choose Search Match. The matching items appear in the results.
US-02: Mark search results and filter the Item List

As a Sales Order Processor
I want to mark the items returned by a Specification Search so I can filter the Item List to only those items
So that I can add the relevant items to a sales order without losing the search results

Setup:

  1. Run a Specification Search as described in US-01.
  2. In the results section, choose Add Mark to mark all matching items.
  3. Close the search page. The Item List filters to the marked items (or use the SCB Marked by user filter in BC).
  4. Add the required items to the sales order.
US-03: Save a frequently used search as a template

As a Sales Order Processor
I want to save the "Stainless Steel CE-certified items" search criteria as a template
So that I can re-run it quickly each week without re-entering the criteria

Setup:

  1. Open the Specification Search page and enter the criteria.
  2. Choose Save as Template and give the template a name.
  3. Next time, open the Specification Search, select the template, and the criteria are pre-filled.
US-04: Use keyword search on a Sales Order line to find items by specification

As a Sales Order Processor
I want to type "stainless 50kg CE" in the No. field on a sales order line and find matching items
So that I can locate the right item without knowing the exact item number

Setup:

  1. Ensure the Specification Search feature is enabled in Abakion Feature Management.
  2. Ensure the relevant Information Codes have Include in Specification Search enabled and the Calculate Item Search String report has been run.
  3. Open a Sales Order and add a new line.
  4. In the No. field, type the keywords (e.g. stainless 50kg CE).
  5. If exactly one item's search string matches all keywords, the item is filled in automatically with its item number and variant code.
  6. If multiple items match, a lookup opens — select the correct item from the results list.

Note: The same keyword search works on Purchase Order lines and all other sales and purchase document types (quotes, invoices, return orders, etc.).

US-05: Use keyword search on a Purchase Order line

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to type a vendor item number or partial description in the Purchase Order line No. field
So that the correct item is found and filled in without knowing the BC item number

Setup:

  1. Open a Purchase Order and add a new line.
  2. In the No. field, type the search term. The Specification Search String is searched across all items.
  3. If one item matches, it is filled in automatically. If multiple match, select from the lookup.

Note: If the typed text is an exact item number, GTIN, or Item Reference number, BC uses the standard lookup — the Specification Search String is only used when those direct lookups find no match.

US-06: Mark a selection of items manually from the Item List

As a Business Manager
I want to select a group of items on the Item List and mark them so I can open the Information Matrix filtered to just those items
So that I can review and update their specifications in bulk

Setup:

  1. On the Item List, select the items you want to work with (Ctrl+Click for individual selection, or filter first).
  2. Choose Mark Master Data → Add Mark.
  3. Open the Information Matrix. The matrix is pre-populated with the marked items.
US-07: Add marks to all component items in a BOM structure

As a Production Planner
I want to mark all component items in the production BOM of a specific finished goods item
So that I can review the specification completeness of all components at once in the Information Matrix

Setup:

  1. On the Item List, select the finished goods item.
  2. Choose Mark Master Data → Add Mark to Items in Hierarchy.
  3. The system expands the BOM structure and marks all component items.
  4. Open the Information Matrix to review the marked components.

Note: This action uses the Production BOM structure. Items must have a Production BOM assigned for the hierarchy expansion to work. If the LLC (Low-Level Code) has not been calculated recently, a prompt may appear asking whether to recalculate.

US-08: Remove marks from specific items

As a Business Manager
I want to remove the mark from a few items that I added by mistake while still keeping the marks on the other items
So that my marked set is accurate before I open the Information Matrix

Setup:

  1. On the Item List, select the items you want to remove from the marked set.
  2. Choose Mark Master Data → Remove Mark.
  3. The marks are removed from only the selected items.
US-09: Clear all marks and start a fresh selection

As a Business Manager
I want to clear all current marks before starting a new task
So that a previous session's marks do not interfere with my current work

Setup:

  1. On the Item List, choose Mark Master Data → Clear All Marks.
  2. All marks are removed for your user. The Item List returns to its unfiltered state.
US-10: Configure which fields are included in the Specification Search String

As a IT Manager
I want to configure the Specification Search String to include Item No., Description, and specific Information Codes but exclude vendor information
So that the search string is focused on product data rather than supplier data

Setup:

  1. Open Item Search Setup from the Master Data Information navigation.
  2. Enable Include Item Number, Include Item Description, and Include Master Data Information.
  3. Disable Include Vendor No and Include Vendor Name.
  4. For each Information Code that should contribute to the search string, open the Information Code Card and enable Include in Specification Search.
  5. Run the Calculate Item Search String report to rebuild all search strings.
US-11: Run the Calculate Item Search String report to build initial search strings

As a IT Manager
I want to run the Calculate Item Search String report for all items after configuring the Specification Search String setup
So that keyword search on Sales and Purchase Lines returns results immediately

Setup:

  1. Open the Item List and choose Master Data Information → Calculate Item Search String, or search for the report using Tell Me.
  2. Optionally filter by Item No. on the request page to recalculate only specific items.
  3. Run the report. A progress bar shows the calculation progress.
  4. When complete, a confirmation message is shown. Keyword search is now active for all processed items.

Note: This report must be run at least once before the Specification Search String returns any results. After initial setup, the search string is maintained automatically when Update On Modify is enabled in Item Search Setup — but if you have made bulk changes (e.g. via Import Worksheet) or have disabled Update On Modify, run this report again to rebuild the strings.

US-12: Automatically update the Specification Search String when specifications change

As a IT Manager
I want to ensure that when a specification value is changed on an item, the Specification Search String is updated immediately
So that search results are always current without requiring manual recalculation

Setup:

  1. Open Item Search Setup.
  2. Enable Update On Modify.
  3. Save. From this point forward, the search string for an item is recalculated automatically whenever a relevant specification is changed.

Note: Enabling Update On Modify adds a small overhead to each save operation. If items are modified very frequently in bulk, consider disabling this and running the Calculate Item Search String report as a scheduled batch job instead.

Field Reference

Item Search Setup fields:

Field Where to find it What it does Default
Update On Modify Item Search Setup Recalculates the Specification Search String automatically when a specification, item description, vendor, or variant changes Enabled
Include Item Number Item Search Setup Includes the item number in the search string Enabled
Include Item Description Item Search Setup Includes the item description in the search string Enabled
Include Variant Code Item Search Setup Includes item variant codes in the search string Enabled
Include Variant Description Item Search Setup Includes item variant descriptions in the search string Enabled
Include Vendor Number Item Search Setup Includes the vendor number in the search string Enabled
Include Vendor Name Item Search Setup Includes the vendor name in the search string Enabled
Include Master Data Information Item Search Setup Includes specification values from Information Codes with Include in Specification Search enabled Enabled
Include Long Item Description Item Search Setup Includes the item's SCB Long Description in the search string Enabled
Specification Search Sorting Order Item Search Setup Controls the sort order of results on the Specification Search lookup page — Ascending or Descending by item number and variant code Ascending

Information Code Card field:

Field Where to find it What it does Default
Include in Specification Search Information Code Card — Specification Search group Enables this code's values to be included in the Specification Search String. Applies to items and item variants Disabled

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