Introduction
The Product Advanced Search tool enables you to investigate your Product catalog via dozens of searchable fields. You can customize which fields are searchable, and you can customize which fields are displayed in the search results. Once you have a list of search results, you can export them for further analysis, you can print and/or download reports, and you can view associated media, such as Product Certificates.
Getting Started
There are two System Configurations related to the Product Advanced Search tool. Login to the Administrative side of your database and navigate to Settings --> Setup --> Configuration. Search for "advanced product search". There is a Configuration to "Show the product advanced search by default". When it is ON, the Advanced Product Search page will be shown when you navigate to the Products section of the Admin. When it is OFF, the Product Editor page will instead be shown by default. 
There is also a Configuration to "Show the product advanced search display options as tabs". You can create custom Product Display Tables for the Product Advance Search results. When this config is ON, those custom tables will be displayed next to the default table, and the User can tab between them.
When it is OFF, a custom table has to be selected, and you have to search again, before the search results are displayed in that table.
Note: Some results columns are always displayed. I only added Category to the above table; the Actions, Product Name, and Product ID columns are always displayed.
Navigating to the Product Advanced Search Screen
Login to the Administrative side of your database and navigate to Products. If you see the Product Edit screen (where you can create and edit Products), then also click the Advanced Search button to see the search tool.
Customizing Search Fields
By default, all fields are searchable. If there are fields that you don't use, or are otherwise not interested in searching against, then click the Customize Search Fields button. Uncheck fields that you are not interested in, and then click the SAVE button. For convenience, there are "Check All" and "Clear All" buttons. Now, the fields that you are not interested in will not be listed, and this preference will be saved for the next time that you use the tool.
Note: The Master/Variations field is required, so it cannot be removed via the Customize Search Fields button.
Note: Customizing Search Fields is completely optional -- as long as you don't input values into search fields that you are not interested, your search results will not be affected by their presence. It is just a preference in case you don't want to look at unnecessary search fields.
Performing a Search
Searching is fast and easy. You can input (or select) values for one field, or for many fields, and then click the "Search Products" button to see results.
Searching by Dates
You can narrow your search by certain dates.
"Deep Search" for Master Products
There is a "Deep Search" checkbox when searching for Master Products. Check it ON to search against the field values in the Master and in the Master's Variations, and check it OFF to search against just the filed values in the "Master".For example, I have a Product with Variations. I changed the Title of one of the variations to "Blah" and clicked the SAVE button.
If I return to the Search Page and do a "Master" Product search with "Deep Search" ON and for Products Titled "blah", I get the Master of the Variation with "blah" in the Title in the Search Results.
If I then toggle Deep Search to OFF and click the Search button, I get zero results.
"AND Matching" between Fields
As you add more field values, the results will be constrained via what is called "AND Matching" between the fields. For example, if you search on just the Standalone value in the Master/Variations field, then you will get all Standalone Products. If you also search on the Product Title field with "Configio" as the field value, then you will get all Products that are Standalone AND contain the word "Configio" in the Title.
"OR Matching" within Fields
Some fields can have multiple values selected, such as the Product Type field. If you add multiple fields values, the System will constrain via what is called "OR Matching" within the fields. Expanding on our current example, if you add the Product Type of "Event", then the System will return all Products that are Standalone, AND contain "Configio" in the Title, AND are Events.
If you add the additional Product Type of "Merchandise", then the System will return all Products that are Standalone, AND contain "Conference" in the Title, AND are Events OR are Merchandise.
Viewing Search Results
After you click the "Search Products" button, the search results will be listed in a grid. There are a number of commonly used fields in the grid by default. If not all of the fields are visible on your screen, there will be a scrollbar to view them. You can change the number of results on each page, page through the results, and sort the results.
Editing and Creating Search Results Displays
While the Default Search Results Display is very useful, you can edit it, and you can create additional displays as needed. Go to Settings --> Management --> Product Display Columns. Look for the tables that have the type of "Product Advanced Search". You can edit
Click "Add New Display Table", Input a Title and choose the Type "Product Advanced Search Columns". Check if you would like this to be the default display, and click the SAVE button.
Click the "Edit Items" button to view, edit, re-order, add, or delete columns.
Choose your field, (optionally) input a Sort Order, and click the SAVE button. Repeat for each field that you want in your display.
The "Today's Price" Column
You can add the Product Display Column titled "Today's Price". It calculates the price of the Product after Discounts and Fees that either have no requirements, or have the 'Apply to Product' Requirement when the days range is correct to apply the Discount or Fee.
Toggling to the Product List page
You can toggle between the Advanced Product Search page and the Product List page by clicking the "Advanced Search" button.
If you have some search results, then only those Products will be listed. This is useful for editing Products that you have found via the Advanced Product Search tool.
Interacting with the Search Results
There are a variety of actions that you can take with the Search Results.Actions for Individual Products
Click a row to see (and edit) it on the Product List page. Click the VIEW icon to see it in the Cart.
Click the PRINT icon to print reports. Some reports can also be downloaded, and they are in a lower section. You can check multiple reports from each section, then click the "Print" or "Download" button, and then all of the reports will all be in a single display or file.
Actions for Multiple Products
There are "Export", "Create Product Media", "Bulk Product Update", "Roster", "Send Message" & "Assign Staff" buttons listed on rows above and below the search results. Each of these tools uses the list of results.
Export to a Excel
Click the "Export" button to create a spreadsheet containing the search results to use in a program like Excel. The Note: if the spreadsheet doesn't download, check to see if your browser is blocking pop-ups, and then allow pop-ups for your Administrative Console.
Create Product Media
You can create product media for a single product or multiple products. Select which items from the search results screen that you want to create the media for first. Then click the "Create Product Media" button to print Media items like Product Certificates. You'll see the events that you have selected listed in the Slected Products section of the Generate media screen. Choose the type of media you want to create, choose the templates, choose whether to include Master Products, include Variation Products, and to include all Products from the Search Results (as opposed to just those Products on the current page). Then, click the "Generate Media" button. As it can a take a while for the operation to run, the Media will be sent to email address that is associated with the logged in Admin User's account.
Roster Report
Click the "Roster" button for a Roster Report for each of the Products you selected in the search results. A new browser tab will open to display the report. As the report can take a long time to build for many products, the System requests that there are ten products or less before creating the report.