Database Search & Editor | Knowledge Base

Database Search

Search is accessed from the workbook, from two contexts:

From the Data Sheet.
From any of the Analysis Grids using the Actions menu.

Activate Search from a Data Sheet

Data sheets can store up to 50 records from the database and are associated with specific analysis grids by default:

Data Sheet	Populates	Analysis Grid
Land Comps	Populates	Land Analysis
Improved Comps	Populates	Sales Analysis
Multifamily Improved Comps	Populates	Sales Analysis
Mixed-use Improved Comps	Populates	Sales Analysis
Lease Comps	Populates	Lease Analysis
Multifamily Lease Comps	Populates	Multifamily Lease Analysis

To search and add comparable records to a data sheet, open the database search console for the selected data sheet from the StartDeck Table sidebar. Data sheets are easy to identify in the sidebar — data sheets always have a search and edit button below the sheet name.

From the main menu: Extensions > StartDeck > Start > Navigation > Select the data sheet name and Search Database:

Activate Search from Analysis Grids

Click the blue Actions dropdown button in cell B7 and select Search Database to open the search console. Note that selected comps will be added to the data sheet listed in Cell D9. In this example, the data sheet name is 'Improved Comps'.

Searching the Database

We recommend selecting a preconfigured search at the top of the search console, then adjusting the criteria for your search. Optionally, you can save the search.

The database search console is configured for searches by property type, with several optional filters:

Record Type Filter

Closed Sale
Contract
Listing
Offer
Lease*
Other

*If Lease is selected, the Space type filter will display (1 BR, 2 BR, Small Retail, etc.)

City Filter

All city names currently in the database will display as filter options.

Radius Filter

Set a distance from center point by city name and/or Zip Code. Geocodes may also be used as a center point and distances may to set to fractional miles.

GBA Filter

Set gross building area filters using minimum, maximum or both.

Units Filter

Filter by the number of units using minimum, maximum or both.

Keywords Filter

Filter search results with comma separated keywords or phrases. All database fields will be searched for matching keywords/phrases.

Date Filter

Filter records by start date, end date, or both.

Additional Filters and Display Options

Search filters can be added to the console to further refine the search criteria and/or add fields to the search results display. Think of the search criteria as also the search display settings. To provide more detail to search results, add a field to the search criteria as an additional filter and set the search option 'Display'. Note that added search filters can be re-ordered by drag and drop action — this sets the column order for the search results table.

Preconfigured Searches

StartDeck provides several searches for different property types to get you started — simply modify the search criteria to customize for your practice and save the search. Save the search under the same name or under a new name to create a new search. Saved searches are under the Saved Searches drop-down at the top of the search form.

Adding Custom Search Criteria

From the search console, click Add New at bottom left. Multiple custom search elements may be added. Each custom search element will display in the search result table, in the order they are added. Use drag and drop to re-order.

Select the field to search. Start typing to filter the list of fields.
Select the search filter or if there is data you want to simply view in the search results but not use as a search filter, select Display.
Enter your search criteria. If the search field is numeric, including dates, the search options change to allow for greater than, less than, between, etc., and two search criteria options will display.

Setting Search Display

The search fields also determine the data shown in the search results table. To customize the search results display, drag and drop the search criteria. To view fields that are not search criteria, simply set the criteria to Display. For example, see the Image and Dollar_Sq_Ft_GBA fields below.

Data Sheets #

Selected search results are imported to the Data Sheet associated with current search.

Adding Comps to the Analysis Grid

To add comps to the grid, simply select the Property Name from the list at the top of each comp column:

Database Editor #

The Database Editor can be activated from the data sheet or from the grid. These two options differ slightly: when running the editor from a Data Sheet, any comp on the sheet can be edited (up 50) and bulk save for multiple records is available. Bulk save is handy when batch edits have been made directly to the sheet (more on batch edits below). Alternatively, when running the editor from the grid, only the comps on the grid may be edited and some comp actions are not available, such as bulk save. In both cases, comp edits are saved to the data sheet and database.

Run the Database Editor from the Data Sheet

To run the Database Editor select that option from the navigation sidebar for the desired data sheet:

For the most part, viewing and editing records are straightforward; the sidebar UI will present form fields for various data entries or selections. Some important tips:

Set View. # This option is at the top of the form and filters the view for the selected property type. Once a view is selected, it is the default view for the data sheet.
Run calculations. Calculations run from top to bottom - be sure to run calculations after all the inputs are complete. There are 40 calculated fields — these can be viewed on the Appraisal Data Schema here.
Jump around. In addition to viewing previous/next records, any record on the sheet can be viewed by selecting the row on the sheet and hitting the refresh icon (upper-right on sidebar).
Duplicate. Got a resale or re-lease? Create a duplicate of the original, edit the record and save as a new comp.
Upload images. Upload images to Google Drive and save the image link with the comparable record. The Search and Sidebar UIs will display a thumbnail on mouse-over. The comp image will automatically be inserted to the comp sheet in the document as an image merge field.

Batch Edits and Bulk Save #

Batch edits can be made directly to data sheets. Batch edits are often helpful when it's more efficient to make multiple edits directly to the spreadsheet and saving all the edited records in single save action. After editing the sheet, select the rows for the edited records and click Save Selected Records.