This article explains how to use the Case Search feature in Hearsay. Case Search, from the Case Home, lets you find matching data across every source in a case, including mobile devices, social media data, and email, without needing to open each one individually. You can run a quick Basic Search or use Advanced Search for more precise filtering. Case Search is especially useful in cases with multiple devices or data types.
What is Case Search?
The Case Search on the Case Home allows you to search and filter for messages across all of the data that was upload to a case. Case Search can search across multiple mobile devices, social media account and email inboxes all at once. The Case Search also offers advanced search capabilities compared to the Keyword and Conversation, with additional options including boolean search, wild cards, multi-keyword and more filters.
Basic Search
Use Basic Search to quickly find results using fuzzy matching (close or partial matches). Type a single keyword in the search box, select filters from the any of the dropdowns and press the blue search button on the right.
Filter options:
Data Type – Specific app(s) you are searching through, such as iMessages, WhatsApp, or Facebook DMs.
Source – This filters the specific account or device, such as a phone, social media account, or email.
Tags – Filter by any Tag created within the case.
Date Range – Narrow results to a specific time period.
Advanced Search
Click Advanced Search to expand the search panel and open the advanced options.
Use Advanced Search for more control over how your terms are matched and combined. In the expanded view, you can:
Enter up to five independent search terms
Link terms using AND or OR (but not both at the same time)
Choose between exact or fuzzy matching.
Use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard to find variations of a word (must use exact match searches)
Apply the same filters available in Basic Search (data type, source, tags, and date range)
Examples:
harassment AND messages— finds results containing both terms"threat*"— finds threat, threats, or threateningInstagram OR Facebook— shows results from either source
Click Back to Basic Search to clear the search and return to the single keyword panel and hide the advanced options.
Search Results
The search results will return both Conversations and Message Results, if any are found. Conversations are returned based on Contact Name matches.
Clicking a Conversation Result will open the start of that Conversation and clicking on a Message Result will open a preview with the few messages before and after the clicked Message.
From the Preview, you can use the Open conversation button to open the full conversation.
Clearing a Search
Press Clear Search to reset the Basic and Advanced Search fields and filters.
Next Steps