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Entering Criteria Values

The Enter Values page lets you enter criteria values when you're creating or modifying a search. Built-in contextual values help you choose effective values on which to search. As you select criteria values, the page displays the number of companies that match each selected value.

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Where do the criteria on this page come from?

The criteria that appear on the Enter Values page are the criteria that you selected for an advanced search, a quick search, or a frequently used criteria search, or the criteria associated with an independent expert search strategy or a saved search.

Where can I find definitions for the search criteria?

Each criterion is defined in the Research glossary, which you can access by clicking the Glossary tab at the top of this Help page. You can also go directly to a criterion's definition by clicking a criterion name on the Enter Values page. Many of the definitions include tips for using the criterion.

What is the benchmark?

Built-in contextual values on the Enter values page help you choose effective values on which to search. The Benchmark column shows the median value for all companies in the market for a given criterion.

How do I select values for my criteria?

You select values for each criterion by using the drop-down menus next to each criterion. Built-in percentiles for the market and the industry help provide context for selecting criteria. When you choose "Highest/lowest in the market" as a value, you can select the highest, lowest, or middle percentiles in the market. For example, selecting the highest 20% in the market for the criterion Employees returns the top 20% of companies with the largest number of employees. Similarly when you choose "Highest/lowest in the industry" as a value, you can select the highest, lowest, or middle percentiles in the industry. For example, selecting the lowest 20% in the industry for the criterion P/E (TTM) returns the 20% of companies in the industry with the lowest P/E.

What does the Results column show?

As you select criteria values, the number of companies that match the selected value appears in the Results column. The total number of matches for all criteria that you have selected appears at the bottom of the column.

What happens if I run a search without selecting a value for a criterion?

If you run a search without selecting a value for a criterion, the search ignores that criterion.

How do I add criteria to or remove criteria from my search?

You can remove an individual criterion at any time by clicking the Remove link for that criterion, to the right of the Results column. You can add or remove criteria at any time by clicking "Add and remove criteria" at the bottom of the Criteria column. Clicking this link returns you to the Advanced Search: Choose Criteria page, with the current set of criteria selected.

You can remove a criterion by unchecking its checkbox, and you can add criteria by checking the box associated with each criterion you want to use. Once you've selected the criteria you want, click Next at the bottom of the Advanced Search: Choose Criteria page to redisplay the Enter Values page with your new set of criteria.

Can I modify the criteria and values for an independent expert strategy?

Yes. You can use an expert search strategy as a jumping-off point for creating your own screening strategy. Click Edit Criteria Values from the strategy's detail page to view all the criteria and values used to create the expert search strategy. By modifying the criteria and their values, you leave the independent expert strategy and tailor the search to better suit your needs.

Note: When you modify the criteria or values of an expert search strategy, you are creating your own search strategy and are no longer using the predefined search strategy.

How do I view my search results once I'm satisfied with the criteria and values I've selected?

Once you've selected the criteria values you want, click View Results at the bottom of the Enter Values page to display the Results page.

Can I save my criteria?

Yes, you can save criteria once you've run your search, then rerun that search whenever you like. See Managing Searches for complete information.

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