Discovery returned nothing

A case ran and came back empty. Before you record that no responsive records exist, check three things, because "nothing matched" and "the search did not work" look identical from here.

1. Check the connection was healthy

Go to Settings, then Integrations, and check the source you searched.

A failed connection is reported on that screen rather than returning empty results, which is exactly so an empty result can be trusted. Confirm it anyway before relying on the outcome, particularly if the run was large or unattended.

2. Check the scope, not the keywords

1. Open the case from the request's Case/Media tab.
2. Read the conditions you set.
3. Widen the one most likely to be wrong, and run it again.

The usual culprits, in order:

• The date range. Too narrow, or offset from the period the requester actually meant.
• The custodian or mailbox. Searching the wrong person, or someone who has left.
• Exact phrases. A phrase match fails where the record uses different words for the same thing.
• Conditions combined too tightly. Every condition narrows the result further, so four conditions can eliminate everything.

Start by removing conditions rather than adding them. Get a result that is too broad, then narrow it.

3. Check you are searching where the records are

Discovery searches connected sources. If the records live somewhere Govflo is not connected to, no search will find them, however it is worded.

An empty result is a finding

If the connection was healthy and the scope was right, empty is an answer, and it is worth more than it looks: a discovery search records what was searched and what came back. That record is what evidences the adequacy of your search if it is ever questioned, which a manual mailbox-by-mailbox hunt cannot produce.

Record what you searched in an internal note before you tell the requester there are no responsive records.