Improving Advanced Searches

PPM users can search for requests based on custom fields defined in request types, request header types, and user data. Users can perform advanced searches to locate requests based on information that is defined as critical to business processes.

As the number of requests logged increases, users performing advanced searches can experience slower performance. To improve performance during advanced searches, use the following guidelines:

• Specify additional request header fields in the advanced searches. Header fields are automatically indexed by PPM, and therefore yield faster returns.

• Add indexes to a limited number of detail fields, preferably fields that are commonly used in advanced searches. Take care not to add too many indexes, since this can affect the performance of inserts and updates to the database.

• Set the DEFAULT_REQUEST_SEARCH_ORDER_BY_ID server configuration parameter value to true to remove the sort order column on a request search. Record sorting slows performance.

• Change the value set for the REQUEST_SEARCH_RESULTS_MAX_ROWS server configuration parameter to restrict the maximum number of records returned by a search. The default is 1000. You can increase or lower the value based on your environment to achieve a better performance. The value you set for the REQUEST_SEARCH_RESULTS_MAX_ROWS server configuration parameter is displayed as the default in the Limit Rows Returned To field.

  If you want to restrict the maximum number of records returned for the current search only, you can change the value in the Limit Rows Returned To field directly.

• For portlet search queries, lower the value set for the PORTLET_MAX_ROWS_RETURNED server configuration parameter. For most portlets, 20 to 50 records is adequate. The default is 200.