NetSuite ERP centralises CRM, accounting, financials, inventory, eCommerce and more. To navigate through this powerful software, the tabs structure is handy but knowing the system structure by memory is not an easy task. To solve this problem NetSuite has incorporated a robust global search which gives instant access to everything users need.

To make the search more precise NetSuite has included a whole set of shortcuts users can type as prefixes to narrow down the results that come back from a global search, Michael Dean, Business System Consultant writes the following tip to master NetSuite’s Super Search.

NetSuite Global Search Hacks for NetSuite Users

If you type a customers surname in the global search field, it is likely to bring back all records that are associated to that customer, and any other customer that happens to have the same last name.

To make it easier simply type CUST: ahead of the customer’s name you are trying to search. 

Becomes:

By learning a few of this shortcuts in the search bar, you can pinpoint the information, record or page you are looking for every time, without fail.

More NetSuite Shortcuts to Consider

Other tips associated with Global Search Shortcuts

1. Capitalising the first letter of the search prefix (so Cust:John instead of cust:john) will open the record selected from the list in edit mode. This simple tip saves me at least 20 minutes a day by not having to open the record view mode, then hit edit get to able to update the transaction.

2. The keywords you are searching need to be at least 3 letters long, but no more than 32. So if you are looking for a document for example, that has more than 32 characters in the title, make sure you only capture the first 10 characters or so to search, otherwise the search will show no results.
3. Changing the language or record naming conventions will impact the shortcuts that can be used. If you have changed for example “Customers” to “Clients” due to internal language preferences, you will need to adjust the prefix associated to your record type. E.g Cli: for clients.
4. Default settings prevent inactive records from being shown in the search, however, you can change this setting to allow for searching of inactive records if it makes sense to your business.
5. The WILDCARD – The percentage symbol % (Shift+5 on a PC and Cmd+5 on a Mac) is incredibly useful to target your searches even more. The standard global search will bring back any results that contain what has been searched, which can get a little cluttered. By adding the % to the start of your search, so “%howard” will bring back any record that has Howard in the title, AND any records that contain Howard within the record itself, for example, Customers who have contacts named Howard, or a Contact whose name isn’t Howard, but Howard is contained within their email address. 
6. Quotation Marks (“John”) can be used to bring back an exact match. So… searching “john” would only bring back records that say “John” alone rather than “Johnsons”.

That’s all for now. Feel free to connect to keep up with more NetSuite Tips:

NetSuite Dashboards should be the main way that users interact with NetSuite. Whilst the “super search” and “lists” are useful to find targeted information, the NetSuite Dashboard should really be an end users NetSuite hub.

If Dashboards are set up correctly, with the attention paid to the day-to-day requirements of the user, they will be able to be more efficient and have greater transparency over the information and data that matters to them and helps them do their jobs.

We get a lot of customers asking “what is the best way to set up my NetSuite dashboard?”

The truth? There is no single best way. It all depends on who you are, how you work and what information you need.

“NetSuite Tip: Over the course of a day, take a note whenever you have to navigate away from your main dashboard. If you find yourself having to navigate to other pages to find information several times over the course of a day, it might just pay to spend a minute creating a simple saved search, and have this information ready for you whenever you need it.” Writes Michael Dean, Klugo’s Business Consultant.

There are a number of different types of NetSuite Dashboard Portlets, from a basic data entry form, right through to fully customised solutions, such as the subsidiary navigator or dashboard tiles. These different types of portlets are designed for different things, such as:

1. Presenting Information (Lists, Saved Searches.)
2. Adding Data or Transactions (Inline editable searches, Quick Add Forms.)
3. Presenting Metrics (KPIs and Scorecards, KPI Meters, Graphs, Charts.)
4. Managing your day (Calendars, To Do Lists and Reminders, Tasks, Phone calls.)
5. Navigation (Navigation Portlet, Subsidiary Navigator, Shortcuts, Recently accessed.)

The best thing you can do is get in a play. Find out what works for you. Also, talk to your administrator about how you would like to use NetSuite more efficiently and should be happy to help. The flexibility around end-user dashboards is one of the most powerful and most useful features to any user.

No other system on the market has dashboards that are this powerful, this flexible and this easy to configure. Make sure you making the most out of it!!!

A chart of account (COA) provides a complete listing of every account in accounting system. In NetSuite, you can manually add account records or use the CSV import assistant to upload account information. The Chart of Accounts is an excellent way to record all of these transactions for an asset, income, revenue, expense, liability, equity.

NetSuite gives organisations the chance to consolidate their Chart of Accounts by removing segments and subsidiaries out from their chart structure as NetSuite allows users to dictate these classifications on the transaction header and line.

Many organisations miss this opportunity and therefore underutilised NetSuite’s standard financial reporting pivoting and filtering functionality.

Traditionally, Chart of Account numbering would dictate which segment (department, class, location etc.) the account belongs to. Now that NetSuite allows these classifications to be assigned on the transaction header and line (with defaults), Chart of Account numbering is used to create different formats of financial statements. Typical examples are Statistical and Management Income Statements.

“Other handy tips to make the end user experience easier, when creating a new account, add the account number as the External ID, this is done via import only. This will make future Journal Entry Importing easier.” writes Henry Sack, Klugo’s Solution Consultant.

Another tip: Netsuite OneWorld automatically adjusts the currency revaluation therefore when creating your NetSuite Chart of Accounts across multiple currencies and subsidiaries there is only the need for one Account’s Receivable and Account’s Payable account.

When speaking with NetSuite end users, Klugo’s Solution Consultants have realised that some of them are not taking advantage of NetSuite’s mobile app available for both iOS and Android.

This app is especially useful for those working as Sales Representatives. This tip written by Klugo’s Solution Consultant Henry Sack, shows how to enable this feature to empower users in all levels of the organisation.

“Not only does the mobile app gives the ability for the users to create and submit Expense Reports while on the road, in the iPhone it also provides the ability to log phone calls made while using the app,” writes Henry.

Enabling Phone Calls Logging on iPhone

1. Tap on the profile icon on the top right to access the pop-up menu and click on the Settings button:

2. Under Phone Call Logging, enable either or both the following: Track Outbound Calls & Prompt to Log Call.

3. Select the contact that you wish to call. Once the call has been completed, a pop-up will prompt you to log.

4. The New Log Phone Call screen will give the ability to add additional details.