- 3 minutes to read

What is a Search Field?

Nodinite Search Fields empower your business with self-service, end-to-end tracking, and advanced correlation—no coding required. This page explains how Search Fields help you find, group, and analyze business events across all your integrations, making troubleshooting and business insight easier than ever.

✅ Enable self-service search and advanced filtering in Log Views
✅ Achieve true end-to-end tracking and correlation across systems
✅ Group, filter, and analyze business transactions with ease
✅ Add new search criteria at any time—even for historical data
✅ A Search Field applies to Log Events in all Log Databases and selected Message Types

Why Use Search Fields?

Search Fields are essential for helping users find what they need and get answers efficiently. They enable self-service capabilities and provide end-to-end tracking for your business. You do not need prior knowledge of design or coding to access the information you seek!

A Search Field in Log Views enhances the search experience and allows users to set specific restrictions easily. End-users can also perform Group By operations, such as listing business transactions by order number. This feature enables related entries, like orders and invoices, to be presented together—streamlining workflows and boosting efficiency.

graph RL subgraph "MessageTypes" roMTPurchaseOrder(fal:fa-file Papinet.PurchaseOrder/2.31
XML) roMTOrder(fal:fa-file EDIFACT.ORDRSP.D96A
Flat file) end subgraph "Search Field Expressions" roSFEOrderIdFromEdifact(fal:fa-flask RegEx with Capturing Groups) roSFEOrderIdFromXML(fal:fa-flask XPath) end subgraph "Search Fields" roSFOrderId(fal:fa-magnifying-glass-plus Order Number) end roMTPurchaseOrder --> roSFEOrderIdFromXML roSFEOrderIdFromXML --> roSFOrderId roMTOrder --> roSFEOrderIdFromEdifact roSFEOrderIdFromEdifact --> roSFOrderId

Diagram: How Message Types, Search Field Expressions, and Search Fields connect in Nodinite.

The Web Client provides a test bench for working with Search Field Expressions and related logged data. Tests are performed in real-time in the background by the Logging Service. This ensures your tests work with real data during processing and re-processing (re-indexing).

Plugins
Search Field Expression Type Plugins available in Nodinite.

Any logged message can be reprocessed (re-indexed), and additional Search Fields can be added to existing data in Nodinite. From a support and maintenance perspective, this means you can find messages based on new criteria—even at a very late stage. You do not need to know, design, or code in advance to find the data you are looking for!

If old data already exists and you want to search according to new Search Fields settings, a user-initiated re-index operation must be executed.
The re-index operation is based on Message Type.

There are no prerequisites on the logged data, and values can originate from:

  • Message Body (payload)
  • Context Properties (metadata/key-value pairs)

The Logging Service processes all messages based on Message Type. Nodinite supports the following message formats out of the box:

  • XML
  • Flat File
  • EDI
  • ...

Custom Plugins

If required, you can write your own Search Field Expressions Type Plugins (applies to Nodinite <= 6.1)

graph TD subgraph "Nodinite" rols(fa:fa-hard-drive Logging Service) subgraph "Search Field Expression Type Plugins" roCPL(fa:fa-code Custom Plugin) roNPL(fa:fa-code Nodinite Plugins) end end

Diagram: Custom and built-in Search Field Expression Type Plugins in Nodinite.

Potential use cases include:

  • Lookup tables in data sources (SQL, file-based, ...)
  • Encrypted messages (keep messages encrypted but provide values for Search Fields)
  • Compressed files (Zip, Rar, ...)
  • Special cases, e.g., 'Get last 2 characters on line 3 in reverse and with uppercase'
  • ...

Next Step

Add or manage Search Field
Add or manage Message Types
Add or manage Log View

Search Field Expressions
Repository Model
Logging Service
Message Type Overview
Search Fields Overview