SAP Search - no results = filters gone

[Johan_H]

When a search does not provide any results you do not get an empty result set, but instead you get a new "no results" page.

That means you have to go back (well okay, there is a button for that), and apply another filter.

This is unintuitive. I would expect to get an empty result set, and simply be allowed to change any filter parameter to see if that gives any results.

The process of elimination is hindered by the fact that the last applied filter is simply reset.

Let us say that we search with a couple of key words, and get a really long list of results.

We then see if any of these results were made in the last month.

No results. Mmmh, apparently no results newer than a month.

Go back to previous page.

A colleague comes to your desk and asks you something...

Okay, where was I? Ah yes, try with another time frame. What was the previous time limit again?

It was a week I guess, lets try a month this time.

No results.

Go back to previous page.

Not intuitive.

[moshenaveh · Accepted solution]

Hello Johan,

Are you talking about this search:

https://onedx.find.sap.com/s#t=tesetgwedgrfdcg&n=1&p=default&repo=srh ?

Regards,

Moshe

[Johan_H · Accepted solution]

Hi Moshe,

That's the one

Regards,

Johan

[JasonLax · Accepted solution]

Hello,

So you would like to be able to toggle the search filters, even when there's 0 results. (At least the query isn't lost when you click "Back to previous results".)

I'll pass on this suggestion to the search development team.

Ultimately, the right results should appear at the top of search results without the need for filters and that's the goal with this tool.

Thank you,

Jason

[Johan_H · Accepted solution]

Hi Jason,

That is right, in pretty much any filtered list you look at on the web, the behavior is that when you get an empty result set, you can simply adjust any of the filters, to see if that will get you a result.

So the system as is works like this, but it is weird that the no results message is displayed on a completely different page, instead of inline.

Regards,

Johan

[jcgood25 · Accepted solution]

Agreed - being able to remove or revise a filter is better than going back to a prior search that found something.  Tell me in the results that nothing was found, and give me a chance to 'X' out any of the filters (like eBay where doing a distance search for something that is outside of 2 miles from your home zip code)

[jcgood25 · Accepted solution]

Oh yeah - forgot to mention that if you enter the search site with a URL like provided above, the button for history.back () is pointless, and perhaps the Back to Previous Results button should not be visible.