What Are Field Queries and Free Text Queries?

You can use free text queries and field queries in Coveo search boxes.

Free text queries

A free text query is simply one or more words, terms, numbers, and optionally operators. The Coveo Platform searches free text query keywords in the content of documents.

Example: The following query finds documents containing both terms (Coveo and Search).

Coveo AND search

Field queries

A field query specifies searching in document metadata, which is information about documents, using specific fields contained in or attached to documents. A field query is more effective as a query refinement tool than free text queries. A field query takes the form @[FieldName][RelationalOperator][FieldValue](see Search Prefixes and Operators, Useful Field Query Examples, and Available Field Aliases).

Example: The following query finds documents whose author name contains Paul.

@sysauthor=Paul

Furthermore, field and free text queries can be combined to form complex queries.

Example: The following query finds documents containing the words Coveo and Search whose author name contains Paul.

Coveo AND Search AND @sysauthor=Paul

You can use field queries without having to know and type fields (see User Interface Elements Hiding Complex Queries).

Note: Stemming often does not apply to field queries (see About Stemming).