$search

The $search query option performs a free-text search across all string properties.

Syntax

GET /odata/Products?$search=widget
GET /odata/Products?$search="multi word search"

How it works

The resolver:

1. Inspects the entity type's declared properties
2. Identifies all properties typed as Edm.String
3. Generates a WHERE clause with LIKE '%term%' for each string column
4. Combines them with OR

For example, if the entity type has name (String), description (String), and price (Decimal), searching for widget produces:

WHERE (name LIKE '%widget%' OR description LIKE '%widget%')

Interaction with $filter

$search and $filter are combined with AND. A row must match both the filter and the search term.

GET /odata/Products?$filter=price gt 10&$search=widget

WHERE price > 10 AND (name LIKE '%widget%' OR description LIKE '%widget%')

Limitations

• Case sensitivity depends on the database collation
• No boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) within the search term
• No phrase matching or proximity search
• Searches only Edm.String properties (not navigation properties)