The quick answer
In NetSuite Next, global search is the Search or ask a question box at the right end of the bottom bar. There's no search box at the top of the page anymore. Click the box, type a distinctive part of the record's name, and read the record type under each result. A customer name also matches that customer's contacts, invoices, and payments. Click the row labeled Customer to open the customer record. Enter opens whichever row is highlighted, and the best match isn't always the customer, so check the label first.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional. Use your own records and values when following the steps. NetSuite Next labels can vary by release and role.
Before you start
This covers the NetSuite Next experience. Classic global search, with its box at the top of the page, is a different interface. NetSuite Next has to be available in your account and enabled for the role you're using. If you don't see it, ask an administrator before assuming your account doesn't have it.
Search only returns what your role is allowed to see. Subsidiary, department, location, and other restrictions apply too, and a record you can open may still not show every action. The box reads Search or ask a question when Ask Oracle is available. Without it, the box may just read Search NetSuite and not offer a chat. You don't need Ask Oracle to search for records.
01. Open global search from the bottom bar
Start on Home. The top of the page has the company name, More actions, and Personalize, but no search box. The Quick Search portlet on the dashboard is a separate portlet, not global search. Look at the bottom bar instead: home, menu, and your initials sit on the left, and Search or ask a question sits on the right. Click it.
A panel opens above the box with your Recent pages. In this example those are Home, Customers, Invoices, A/R Aging, and Customer Payments, with Items just below them. Yours depend on where you've been. A tip titled The home of global search sits at the bottom of the panel, and the box now reads "Search using keywords, or ask a question to start a chat". If you only need to get back to a page you just used, click it here without typing anything.
02. Search for the customer by name
Type juniper. The panel shows Searching... for a moment, then Recent pages give way to Search results (15+). The plus means more than 15 matches were found, not that the panel lists all of them. The count, order, and fields you see depend on your account's records and your role.
The results mix record types, because a customer's contacts and transactions also carry the customer's name. Each row shows its record type and identifying details, and transactions also show a status. At the top is the Juniper Table customer, then four Open invoices: INV-4247, INV-4203, INV-4158, and INV-4112. Scroll down and you get two contacts, Rosa Delacroix and Theo Marsh, then five payments. PMT-2386 is Not Deposited, and PMT-2340, PMT-2297, PMT-2251, and PMT-2208 are each Deposited. Three Paid In Full invoices close the list.
The footer reads "We found more than 15 results based on your keywords" and says Enter opens the best matching, highlighted result, or you can choose a different one. The Ask in chat button next to it sends what you typed to Ask Oracle as a question. It isn't how you run a keyword record search. If the name is common in your account, type more of it to narrow the list.
03. Confirm the match and open the customer
Scroll back to the top of the results. The highlighted row is the one with the Enter badge. In this replay the highlight follows the pointer: when the pointer rests on an invoice lower in the list, the badge moves to that invoice, and it comes back to the Juniper Table row when you point at it again. Check the label under the name. It says Customer, with ap@junipertable.example and (971) 555-0167, not Invoice or Payment.
Here the customer ranked first. That isn't guaranteed. A search can rank one of the customer's transactions as the best match, and then Enter opens that transaction. When the highlighted row isn't the record you want, click the right row instead of pressing Enter.
Click the Juniper Table row. The search panel closes and the customer record opens.
Check the result
- The record header shows Juniper Table with the type Customer.
- The header's email and phone, ap@junipertable.example and (971) 555-0167, match the search result you clicked.
- Primary Information shows Customer ID C-2066 and Name Juniper Table.
- The header offers Accept Payment and Edit. Which actions you see depends on your role, permissions, and form.
If an invoice or payment opened instead, go back to the bottom bar, search again, and click the row labeled Customer.
Common questions
Where did global search go in NetSuite Next?
It moved to the bottom bar. The Search or ask a question box on the right end of the bar is global search, and there's no search box at the top of the page. Click it to see your recent pages, then start typing.
Why does searching a customer name also show invoices and payments?
Global search matches any record whose searchable fields include your text, and a customer's contacts and transactions carry the customer's name. Searching juniper here returned the customer, its contacts, its Open and Paid In Full invoices, and its payments. Read the record type on each row to tell them apart.
Why did pressing Enter open an invoice instead of the customer?
Enter opens the highlighted best match, the row with the Enter badge, and that can be a transaction. Check whether the highlighted row says Customer before you press Enter. If it doesn't, click the customer row instead.
What does Ask in chat do in the NetSuite Next search box?
It sends what you typed to Ask Oracle as a question instead of running a record search. Whether it's there depends on your account and role. Without Ask Oracle, the box may just read Search NetSuite. This walkthrough doesn't use it.
Can I search for records from the Search menu box in the Menu drawer?
No. The Search menu box in the Menu drawer finds navigation pages by name, like lists and setup pages. For customers, invoices, payments, and other records, use the Search or ask a question box on the bottom bar.
Do classic prefixes like cust: and wildcards still work in NetSuite Next?
They haven't been confirmed in NetSuite Next. Test them in your own account before you rely on them. Your role's permissions also limit which records show up at all.
What does a count like 15+ mean in the results header?
It means there are more matches than the panel lists. The footer says the same thing. Type more of the name to narrow the list, then check the record type before you open anything.
Why can't I find a record I know exists?
Your role decides which records show up and which ones you can open, and subsidiary, department, and location restrictions apply too. If the record is still missing, ask an administrator whether your role has access to it.