You can search for contract-related information using the following methods:
Using the Contracts Hub - The tiles on the Contracts Hub enable you to search for contract records, contract-related Documents, text in contract-related Documents, and party(s) to contracts.
Using the "Contracts" option in the Search Hub dropdown - You can use this to create advanced searches for contracts-related data. Please see Advanced Searching in GEMS for details on how to create advanced searches.
Finding a Contract Record
To find and view a contract record, do the following:
Click on Find a Contract in the Contracts Hub.
Enter a few letters of the Contract Title in the search box. The predictive search automatically displays a list of all contracts that contain those letters. You can also view a list of all contracts by leaving the search box blank and clicking the search icon.
Click on the contract name to open the contract record.
To open more than one contract record, select the checkboxes next to the contract names, then right-click and click Open.
Finding a Contract Document
To find a Document that is either associated with a contract or is a contract Document, do the following:
Click on the Find a Document tile on the Contracts Hub.
Enter a few letters of the Document Description in the search box. The predictive search automatically displays a list of all Documents associated with contracts that contain those letters. You can also view a list of all contract-related Documents by leaving the search box blank and clicking the search icon.
Please note: GEMS searches for all documents whose Document record either contains "Contract" in the Category field or has a value in the "Related Contract" field. If you use GEMS to store your contract document but you do not use the Add a Contract Wizard to create contract records for them, you must choose "Contract" in the Document Category when creating the Document record if you want to find them using this search. For more information, see Storing Contract Documents.
Click on the Document Description to open the Document.
To open more than one Document, select the checkboxes next to the Document Descriptions, then right-click and click Open. All other Document-related actions are also available from the right-click menu.
Searching for Text inside a Document Associated with a Contract
To find text within a Document associated with a contract, do the following:
Click on the Find text in a Document tile on the Contracts Hub.
Enter the desired search string in the search box and click the Search icon.
Please note: GEMS searches within all Documents whose Document record either contains "Contract" in the "Category" field or has a value in the "Related Contract" field. See how to set a Document Category in Storing Contract Documents.
Find text in a document is not a predictive search and displays the results in a web search style listing on a new tab. Click on the search result hyperlinks to open the Document or the related contract.
To filter the search results further, click Advanced Search to add a filter.
You can select the Document Type you wish to search for and the dates between which it was last modified. You can also choose whether GEMS should search for your search term only in the Document file name. Finally, you can opt to use a Free-Text Query. This means you can enter your search requirement in natural language and GEMS will convert it into a structured query internally.
Finding a Party to a Contract
To locate a party to a contract, do the following:
Click on the Find a Party to Contract tile on the Contracts Hub.
Enter a few letters of the party name in the search box. The predictive search automatically displays a list of all entities and people who are parties to contracts whose names contain those letters. You can also view a list of all parties to contracts in GEMS by leaving the search box blank and clicking the search icon.
Click on the party name to open the entity or person record. Click on the contract title to open the related contract.
To open more than one entity or person record, select the checkboxes next to the party names, then right-click and click Open.
Finding all Pending Contract-Related Activities Assigned to User
If you want to view all pending contract-related activities that have been assigned to you, do the following:
The Activities tile on the Contracts Homepage shows the number of contract-related Activities that have been assigned to you and which have the status "Not Started" or "In Progress."
Click on the Activities tile. A list of the assigned Activities is displayed.
To view details of an Activity, click on the Activity Title to open the Activity record.
Searching for Contracts using Date Ranges
In many cases, it is useful to search for contracts using a date range. For example, you may want to know which contracts are expiring in the next 7/30/90/180 days.
One way to do this is to search using a custom date range such as "10/02/2016 - 12/02/2016." However, this date range is fixed and will always return the same results.
Predefined date ranges enable searching in a predefined period relative to the current system date. Some examples are "Tomorrow," "Next 7 Days," or "Previous 180 Days." Such a search containing a relative date range can be saved and rerun without needing to adjust the dates every time, as it will always search in the defined date range starting from the system date.
Example: Contracts Due to be Renewed in the Next Three Months
To view which contracts are up for renewal in the next 90 days, do the following:
From the Search Hub, choose the "Contracts" item from the "Search GEMS for" drop-down list.
Click the Advanced hyperlink to open the Contracts Advanced Search.
Add the "Renewal/Notice Date" column to the search columns.
In the Criteria section, set the following two criteria:
Field: Basic.Renewal/Notice Date
Condition: Is less than or equal to
Value: Next 90 days
AND
Field: Basic.Renewal/Notice Date
Condition: Is greater than or equal to
Value: Today
Name the search and save it. This will always display the contracts that are due for renewal in the next 90 days from the system date.