Global search with multiple entities

A Global Search feature across multiple Dataverse entities in a Power Pages portal offers a powerful and seamless way for users to find information, regardless of which table or module it belongs to — e.g., searching across Knowledge Articles, Products, Events, FAQs, or Cases in one unified experience.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Building Global Search Across Multiple Entities

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Step 1: Decide on Entities to Include

Choose which Dataverse tables (entities) should be part of the global search. Common examples:

• knowledgearticle
• product
• incident (Cases)
• custom_event
• faq_custom

For each entity, determine the searchable fields (like title, description, keywords, etc.).

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Step 2: Enable Table Permissions

Set up Table Permissions for each of the selected entities:

1. Go to Portal Management App
2. Navigate to Table Permissions
3. For each table:
   • Table Name: Select the entity
   • Permission Type: Read
   • Access Type: Global or Contact (based on if records are public or user-specific)
4. Associate permissions with the correct Web Role (e.g., Authenticated Users or Anonymous Users)
5. Save and clear the portal cache

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Step 3: Create a Unified HTML Search UI

<input type="text" id="globalSearchInput" placeholder="Search across the portal..." />
<div id="globalSearchResults"></div>

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Step 4: Create Server-Side Liquid to Perform Searches

You’ll use multiple fetchxml blocks in Liquid to search across each entity.

{% assign query = request.params['search'] | escape %}
{% assign userId = user.id %}

{% fetchxml articleResults %}
<fetch top="5">
  <entity name="knowledgearticle">
    <attribute name="title" />
    <filter>
      <condition attribute="title" operator="like" value="%{{ query }}%" />
    </filter>
  </entity>
</fetch>
{% endfetchxml %}

{% fetchxml productResults %}
<fetch top="5">
  <entity name="product">
    <attribute name="name" />
    <filter>
      <condition attribute="name" operator="like" value="%{{ query }}%" />
    </filter>
  </entity>
</fetch>
{% endfetchxml %}

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Step 5: Render Results in a Unified Format

<h3>Knowledge Articles</h3>
<ul>
  {% for item in articleResults.results.entities %}
    <li>{{ item.title }}</li>
  {% else %}
    <li>No articles found.</li>
  {% endfor %}
</ul>

<h3>Products</h3>
<ul>
  {% for item in productResults.results.entities %}
    <li>{{ item.name }}</li>
  {% else %}
    <li>No products found.</li>
  {% endfor %}
</ul>

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Step 6: AJAX-Based Live Global Search (Optional Enhancement)

Use JavaScript to call a Web Page or Web Template asynchronously, and pass the user’s input.
<script>
document.getElementById('globalSearchInput').addEventListener('keyup', function () {
const query = this.value;
if (query.length < 3) return;

fetch(`/global-search?search=${encodeURIComponent(query)}`)
.then(response => response.text())
.then(html => {
document.getElementById('globalSearchResults').innerHTML = html;
})
.catch(err => console.error('Search failed:', err));
});
</script>


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Step 7: Optional – Paginate Results Per Entity

Use <paging> in FetchXML or a “Show More” link below each section to navigate to a dedicated page for that entity.

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Step 8: Optional – Add Search Filters by Entity

Use dropdowns or tabs to let users refine the search per module:

<select id="entityFilter">
  <option value="all">All</option>
  <option value="article">Articles</option>
  <option value="product">Products</option>
</select>

Modify the JavaScript to conditionally query per selection.

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Step 9: Optimize Search Performance

• Limit results to top 5 or 10 per entity
• Use indexed fields in Dataverse
• Avoid over-querying by debouncing input (e.g., 300ms delay)
• Use caching where possible

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Best Practices

• Avoid exposing too many fields from sensitive tables
• Use secured Web Roles to control visibility of each entity’s data
• Use clear section headers to differentiate results from various sources
• Implement logging or telemetry to measure search trends

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Use Cases

• Public portal with knowledge articles and product details
• Internal portal with employee FAQs, HR documents, and IT support
• Customer portal combining orders, invoices, and FAQs