How Search Works in QFlow: AND vs OR Queries Explained

Quick Summary

Entering multiple words in search now uses AND logic
Results must match all terms, not just one
This leads to fewer, more accurate results
Single-word searches are unchanged

Overview

QFlow’s Everything search has been updated to return more precise and relevant results when you enter multiple search terms.

Previously, search used OR logic, meaning a record would appear if it matched any of your search terms. Now, QFlow uses AND logic by default, so results must match all terms you enter.

This change helps you find the exact person, company, or record faster—without sorting through unrelated results.

What Changed

Behavior	Before (OR)	Now (AND)
Multi-word search	Matches any word	Matches all words
Example: “Bell Labs”	Results with “Bell” or “Labs”	Results with “Bell” and “Labs”
Result count	More results (broader)	Fewer results (more precise)
Single-word search	No change	No change

Example

Searching for “Bell Labs”

Before (OR):
Results included any record containing “Bell” or “Labs,” even if unrelated to Bell Labs.
Now (AND):
Results only include records where both “Bell” and “Labs” appear.

Each term can match in different fields. For example:

“Bell” in a last name and “Labs” in a company name
“Bell” in a company name and “Labs” in an email address

As long as both terms exist somewhere in the record, it will appear in results.

Example: A two-word search (“John Smith”) returns a single, precise result

Single-word searches (e.g., “John”) behave the same as before

When to Use Multi-Word Search

Multi-word (AND) search works best when you:

✔️ Know part of a name and organization (e.g., “Andrew QFlow”)

✔️ Are looking for a specific person or record

✔️ Want to reduce unrelated results

How to Broaden Your Results

If you're not seeing what you expect:

Try fewer words (e.g., “Bell” instead of “Bell Labs”)
Remove less important terms
Check for spelling or variations

How It Works

When you enter multiple words in the Everything search field, QFlow builds a query that requires each term to match in at least one searchable field, such as:

First name
Last name
Company name
Email address

The terms do not need to appear in the same field—just somewhere across the record.

💡 Tip: One word can match a name while another matches a company or email field.

For Administrators

This behavior is controlled by the following feature flag:

Feature: Feature.TopSearch.UseAndOperator
Default: true (AND logic enabled)

Set this value to false to restore the previous OR-based search behavior.

If you need assistance, contact your QFlow administrator.

Troubleshooting

No results found? Try fewer or broader terms
Too many results? Add more specific words
Unexpected matches? Check spelling or field variations

FAQ

Q: Will this affect my saved searches or filters?
A: No. This change only applies to the Everything search field (top search bar). Saved searches and advanced filters are not affected.

Q: I’m getting fewer results than before. Is that expected?
A: Yes. AND logic narrows results to records matching all terms, resulting in fewer—but more relevant—results.

Q: Can I switch back to OR mode?
A: Yes. A system administrator can revert to OR behavior using a feature setting (see below).