Learning Outcomes
Understand what each search status in TRAC means.
Recognise when a search should be in each status, with a real-world example for each.
Know how to move a search from one status to another.
What is Search Status?
Every search in TRAC has a status that tells you, at a glance, whether it is collecting data and what kind of data it holds. You can see the status icon next to each search on the All Searches page, and you can use the Status Filter on that page to show only searches in a given status.
There are seven statuses: Draft, Ready to Launch, Scheduled, Running, Paused, Historic and Completed. To change the status of a search, head to Search Management > Status, click Edit and choose the action you need.
Draft
The search is still being set up. You don't need to do anything to create a draft: every new search is saved as a draft automatically once you reach the Topics step and start adding your query. A timestamp in the top right of the setup screen shows when it was last saved, so you won't lose your progress if you navigate away, go back a step or your browser closes unexpectedly.
To leave the setup and come back later, click Close in the top right corner and choose Save & Exit. Choose Delete Draft instead to discard it. To find your drafts, go to the All Searches page and filter by Status: Drafts. Drafts are sorted by Last Modified, so your most recent work appears first.
💡 Example use case: An analyst is building a detailed Boolean query for a multi-market panel search when they're pulled into a client call halfway through. They click Close > Save & Exit, and the next morning they filter the All Searches page by Status: Drafts. Their search is right at the top, with every keyword and source exactly where they left it, so they pick up where they stopped instead of rebuilding the query from scratch.
📝 Note: Drafts are automatically deleted after 1 month of inactivity to keep your workspace tidy. You can also delete a draft manually at any time from the All Searches page by filtering by Status: Drafts.
Ready to Launch
The search has been created but does not contain any content yet. It isn't collecting posts in real time and no historic data has been ordered. To start filling it, go to Search Management > Status and either start real-time collection, schedule it to start later, or order historic data.
💡 Example use case: An agency is preparing to track the launch of a client's new product next Monday. They build the search on Thursday so the query, keywords and sources can be reviewed and signed off by the client first. The search sits in Ready to Launch until launch day, when the team starts real-time collection so nothing is gathered before the query is approved.
Scheduled
The search has been set to start collecting posts in real time at a specific date and time in the future. Until then it doesn't collect any data. When the scheduled time arrives, TRAC starts the search automatically and its status changes to Running, so nobody has to remember to switch it on. To schedule a search, go to Search Management > Status, click Edit and set the date and time you want collection to begin.
💡 Example use case: A sportswear brand is unveiling its new kit at 9:00 AM on Saturday, with the campaign hashtag going live at the same moment. The team builds and checks the search during the week, then schedules it to start at 9:00 AM on Saturday. The search shows as Scheduled until then, and switches to Running right as the campaign kicks off. The data lines up exactly with the launch, and nobody has to log in at the weekend to start it.
Running
The search is collecting posts in real time as they are published. While a search is running you can see the pace of incoming results through its Velocity, and any alerts, digests or scheduled reports built on it will keep sending.
💡 Example use case: A retail brand's social team keeps an always-on brand monitoring search Running through Black Friday. Posts arrive as they happen, the Velocity metric on the All Searches page shows when conversation spikes, and an email alert notifies the team the moment complaints about delivery start to climb so they can respond quickly.
Paused
The search was collecting posts in real time but has been paused. No new data is collected while a search is paused, but everything it already gathered is kept and can still be analysed. A search can be paused manually, or automatically by TRAC if it has had no activity for 60 days (see TRAC: Inactive search monitoring).
💡 Example use case: A charity ran a six-week awareness campaign and tracked it with a running search. When the campaign ends, the team pauses the search: collection stops, but all six weeks of data stay in place for the end-of-campaign report. If the charity relaunches the campaign next year, they can start the same search again rather than building a new one.
📝 Note: Data from the period when a search was paused is not collected retrospectively once you start it again. If you need to fill that gap, you can order historic data or speak to your Account Manager.
Historic
The search only contains historic data. It has never collected posts in real time; instead, data from a past date range has been ordered into it.
💡 Example use case: A strategy team is pitching to a new client and wants to understand how audiences reacted to a competitor's rebrand twelve months ago. They create a search and order historic data covering the three months around the rebrand. The search shows as Historic: it holds that past conversation for analysis, but isn't monitoring anything going forward.
Completed
The search has finished collecting data. Everything it gathered remains available to analyse, export and report on, but it is no longer collecting new posts.
💡 Example use case: A media team tracked conversation around a two-week film festival. Once the festival is over and collection has finished, the search shows as Completed. The team uses it to build their post-event recap and compare it against last year's festival search.
Which status should my search be in?
Still building your query? It's saved as a Draft automatically. Just remember to come back to it within a month.
Set up but waiting for sign-off? Leave it in Ready to Launch.
Know exactly when your campaign kicks off? Schedule the search to start at that date and time.
Need to monitor conversation as it happens? Make sure it is Running.
Project finished, but you may need the search again? Pause it to stop collection and keep the data.
Only interested in the past? Order historic data and the search will be Historic.
No longer need it in your active list at all? Consider archiving it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to save my search as a draft myself?
No. New searches are saved as drafts automatically once you reach the Topics step. Drafts that have had no activity for 1 month are deleted automatically.
Will pausing a search delete my data?
No. All data collected before the pause stays available in TRAC.
Does a scheduled search collect anything before its start time?
No. Real-time collection begins at the scheduled date and time. If you also need conversation from before the start, you can order historic data into the search.
Can a search have both historic and real-time data?
Yes. You can order historic data into a search and also start real-time collection. Once it is collecting in real time it will show as Running.
Why has my search been paused when I didn't pause it?
TRAC automatically pauses running searches that have had no activity for 60 days. You'll receive warning emails before this happens. Read more in TRAC: Inactive search monitoring.
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