Search for Transactions

You can find all transactions for a reservation on the Transactions tab in the Navigator. The Browse Transactions option, however, enables you to search for any transaction type with or without the reservation number, using a basic or advanced search; search results show in a list view. A basic search calls for basic information that you specify for a transaction when you first create it, such as the group to which the transaction applies, the department that generated the transaction, and so on. An advanced search goes through more specific field values in reservations, transactions, or both. For example, in an advanced search, you search by the Bill-To Contact at the reservation level.

1. On the EMS menu bar, click Billing > Other > Browse Transactions. The Browse Transactions window opens. The first time it opens, the Filter tab uses a basic search. Thereafter it uses the search type (Basic or Advanced) that you last performed.

2. Toggle between Basic and Advanced to switch between the search types. 

Basic Search 

A basic search calls for basic information that you specify for a transaction when you first create it, such as the group to which the transaction applies, the department that generated the transaction, and so on.

1. Enter your search criteria using the table below.

   Field	Description
   Starting Time Ending Time	The date range during which the transactions were carried out. Both are optional.
   Group	(Often re-labeled "Employee" or "Customer"). Search for a person or group for which the transactions apply.
   Department	Leave the default value set to (all) or select a specific department that generated/issued the transaction.
   Transaction Type	Leave the default value set to (all), or select a specific transaction type for which to search.
   Invoice Number	If you are searching for a specific invoice or invoices, enter a search string. The search is not case-sensitive, but your search is limited to the exact order of characters in the string and it must begin with the information for which you are searching. For example, a search string of 10 returns 1000, 1017, but not 910.
   Reservation ID	Leave the default value set to 0 to search for a transaction regardless of reservation ID; otherwise, enter the exact value of the reservation ID.
   Amount	Leave the default value set to 0.00 to search for transactions regardless of the transaction amount; otherwise, enter the exact amount of the transaction.

2. You can click Options and specify the Number of Records to Return.

3. Click Get Data or Refresh to see search results.

4. To work with the results, do one or more of the following:
   • Click Print to print the search results.
   • Click Export to export the search results to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
   • Select an invoice, and then click Email to open a pre-addressed SMTP email to the group that is associated with the invoiced reservation. Complete and send the email as you would normally. (The invoice is sent as an attachment.) See Also: Sending Email.
   • Click Filter to return to the Filter tab, make any necessary changes to the search criteria, and then repeat the search.
   • Click Refresh to re-query the database based on the current search criteria.
5. Click Close. Any changes that you made to the search results columns (position and width) remain in effect for any other searches that you carry out. You can also Reset the columns to their default values.

Advanced Search 

An advanced search goes through more specific field values in reservations, transactions, or both. For example, in an advanced search, you search by the Bill-To Contact at the reservation level. Toggling to an Advanced search refreshes the Browse Transactions window with additional options.

1. You can enter a Starting Date, an Ending Date, or both, to set a date range for the search. If these dates are the same, select Use Specific Times and enter specific time periods to search. 

2. Select fields to specifically search and use the arrow button to move each to the right pane.

   Use Field Search to filter the list of available fields by keyword. 

   If you want to use specific fields and/or values often in this kind of search, use Add To Favorites. After you define a value or define the limits for a field, click Save Value on the Filter dialog. The next time that you perform a search, you can open the Favorite Fields tab or the Saved Values tab to re-use these favorite fields and pre-set values.

   To see details about a field, you can mouseover the field in the Filter Summary list.

3. When prompted, enter a value or define the limits for the field, and then click OK. 
4. You can, click Options and set values for additional search options: Date/Time Filter, Number of Records to Return, and Specific Room Filters.

5. Click Get Data or Refresh to see search results.

6. You can work with the search results just as you would for the Basic Search (above).
7. Click Close.