Global Search Enhancements: Customizable Preferences and New Search Bar
This release gives administrators control over the global search experience in single architecture, letting them configure which content types and filters appear, enable Intelligent Search, and set preferences per division. End-users gain a new on-page search bar and expanded people search filters for faster, less cluttered searching.
What's New
- Configure which content types are available in global search
- Configure filters available for content and people in global search
- Enable Intelligent Search in single architecture
- New people search filters: username, email address, manager, division, and position
- New search bar on global search results that searches within the current tab
- Set different search preferences per division with inheritance to child OUs
Details
Description
Global Search Enhancements bring customizable search preferences to Cornerstone single architecture, giving administrators familiar controls to shape how learners discover and refine content. Administrators can manage which content types appear in global search, configure the filters available for both content and people searches, and enable Intelligent Search directly from search preferences.
For end-users, a new search bar has been added to the top of global search results. This bar lets users see their current query and update it without returning to the navigation search, performing the new search directly on the same tab they are already viewing. The release also adds support for more people search filters and allows empty searches without requiring an asterisk or wildcard symbol.
Business Need
Not every organization uses every content type or metadata field, and surfacing unused fields makes search results feel cluttered and confusing for learners. Without the ability to tailor the search experience, administrators could not hide irrelevant content types or filters, leaving end-users to guess among options that returned little or no meaningful data.
These enhancements give administrators control over what appears in content and people global searches, so learners see only the filters and content types that matter for their organization. The new on-page search bar removes the friction of navigating back to the navigation bar and re-selecting a tab to refine a query, creating a faster and more intuitive search experience.
Key Features
- Administrators can configure which content types are available in global search to reduce clutter and simplify results.
- Administrators can configure the filters available in both content and people global searches.
- Intelligent Search can be enabled for single architecture directly within search preferences.
- New people search filters are available, including username, email address, manager, division, and position.
- A new search bar at the top of global search results lets users view and update their query while remaining on the current tab.
- Search preferences can be set differently per division and inherited by child OUs when no custom configuration exists.
Deployment & Considerations
These features are available from the start of UAT and with the production release. They are on by default with no activation required, and no configuration changes are made by default — administrators can adjust preferences as needed. The enhancements are available only to customers using single architecture, and no new permissions are required.
Preferences are set at the division level and can be inherited by child OUs when desired or when a child OU has no custom configuration. Currently only training and people preferences are supported. When Intelligent Search is first activated, there is a short delay while data is prepared for use. Filter drag-and-drop reordering does not yet affect the end-user experience; support for custom filter ordering is planned for a future release. Using the navigation search bar will continue to redirect users to the first global search tab.