ℹ️ Semantic Search is now available to all organizations with AI features enabled. Admins can turn it on under Organization settings > Search settings. See How to turn semantic search on or off below for the steps.
Semantic search lets you find applications, dashboards, reports, surveys, presentations, and broadcasts by what they mean, not just the words you remember. Type a natural-sounding question or phrase and the search finds relevant items even when your wording doesn't match their names.
It's also the first time you can search across assets in the same bar as components. Until now the search bar was focused on components. Now reports, dashboards, surveys, presentations, and broadcasts appear alongside them in one ranked list.
How to search
Open the search bar. There are two ways:
Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows or Linux) from anywhere in Ardoq.
Click the Search button in the sidebar.
Type your question or a phrase. You don't need to know an item's exact name. Phrases like "source control tool for development" or "Atlassian products" work directly.
Click a result to open it, or press Escape to close the bar without picking anything.
What you can search for
Item type | Examples |
Component | Applications, business capabilities, people, services |
Dashboard | Application portfolio, capability heatmap |
Report | Lifecycle reports, cost reports |
Survey | Application owner surveys, data quality reviews |
Presentation | Quarterly architecture review |
Broadcast | Scheduled survey reminders |
Results from all six types appear in a single ranked list. Workspaces, viewpoints, references, and individual fields aren't indexed yet. You can still find them via the workspace navigator, or for viewpoints, the command palette.
Understanding your results
The most relevant items appear at the top. Each row shows the item's name and type. Click a row to open it.
If you have many possible matches, an Other results section may appear below the main list. This holds matches that ranked below the relevance threshold. Expand it if you want to see them.
Note: Results are permission-aware. You only see items you have read access to. Items you can't see won't appear in search, even if they would be a strong semantic match.
How to find an item by ID
If you know an item's exact ID, type it instead of searching by meaning. The match is pinned to the top of results, ahead of all semantic matches.
Two kinds of ID work:
Component key (Ardoq ID): type the key or the start of one.
Custom search field: if your Admin has set up a custom search field (for example, an external system ID, a cost centre code, or a business capability identifier), type that value.
Both are case-insensitive, and you don't need to type the full value to get a match.
How to filter results by type
Filter chips appear in the search input. Click a chip to narrow results to a specific item type, or to a specific component type if your Admin has configured quick-filter component types.
To filter beyond the quick-filter chips, click Filter to open the full Advanced Search.
Ask the AI Assistant from search
When you want an answer instead of a list of results, take your search to the AI Assistant. An Ask AI Assistant option appears at the top of the results, above the best matches, and repeats what you typed.
Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows or Linux) and type your question, for example "what tool do we use for source control".
Select Ask AI Assistant at the top of the results.
The AI Assistant picks up your question and answers it.
Note: Ask AI Assistant needs the AI chat assistant to be enabled for your organization. If you don't see the option, ask your Admin to check Organization settings > Features.
Commands and the command palette
The search bar is also a command palette. Beyond finding items, you can use it to navigate, open settings, and start common actions without leaving the keyboard.
How to run a command
Press Cmd+K or Ctrl+K to open the search bar.
Type / as the first character. The bar switches to command palette mode and shows only commands.
Continue typing to filter. For example, /dash shows only dashboard-related commands.
Press Enter to run the selected command.
You can also see commands without the / trigger. While you're searching by phrase, a short list of matching commands appears below your results.
What you can do
Commands are grouped into sections. What you see depends on your role:
Navigation: Home, Discover, Tasks, Solutions, Asset library
Data: Data Inventory, Create Workspace
Surveys, Dashboards, Reports, Presentations, Viewpoints: Open the overview page or create a new item
Broadcasts: Open the overview, create a new broadcast (Admin)
Import & Integrations: Open the overview
Metamodel: Metamodel previews (Admin)
Administration (Admin only): Organisation settings, Access control, Audit log, Usage metrics
Account and Help & Support: Personal account, About Ardoq, Report a bug
Note: Commands are role-aware. A command you can't run won't appear in your results. Some commands also depend on feature flags being enabled for your organization.
The Currently Open section
Open the search bar without typing anything, and a Currently Open section shows your active context: the open Workspace or Viewpoint, the active Report, Dashboard, or Data Inventory view. Click an entry to jump back to it.
Tips for better results
Describe the purpose, not just the keyword. "systems responsible for user authentication" works even if no item is named that way.
Typos are fine. Minor spelling variations still return relevant matches.
If you remember the exact ID, use that for a direct top-of-results match.
Want an answer instead of a list? Take your search to the AI Assistant straight from the search bar. This needs the AI chat assistant to be enabled for your organization.
Search settings for Admins
In Organization settings > Search settings, Admins can configure how search behaves for the organization:
Setting | What it does |
Enable semantic search | Turn AI-powered, meaning-based search on or off. When off, classic keyword search is used. |
Custom ID | Pick a component text field whose value should match exactly at the top of results. Only text fields with "ID" or "alias" in their name are available. |
Enable Ardoq ID search | Control whether users can search for or see the Ardoq ID (the component key) in component search results. On by default. |
Select quick filters | Pick which component types appear as one-click filter chips in the search input. |
How to turn semantic search on or off
Go to Organization settings > Search settings.
Turn on Enable semantic search. When on, the search bar uses meaning-based search across components and assets. When off, the search bar falls back to classic keyword search.
How to configure quick filters
Admins choose which component types appear as one-click filter chips below the search input, so users can scope results without needing to know the full metamodel.
Go to Organization settings > Search settings.
Under Select quick filters, choose the component types to surface as default filter chips.
Use the Preview section to see how the chips will appear in the search bar.
Click Save to apply the change across the organization.
Troubleshooting
I don't see semantic-style results.
Either the Enable semantic search toggle is off, or AI features aren't enabled for your organization. Go to Organization settings > Search settings to check. If you don't see the toggle, contact your CSM.
My item didn't show up.
Make sure it's one of the six indexed types (Component, Dashboard, Report, Survey, Presentation, Broadcast). If you remember the exact ID, type that to pin it to the top of results. Items you don't have read access to never appear in search.
I searched for an abbreviation or acronym and didn't find what I expected.
Semantic search works on meaning, so an abbreviation or acronym with no inherent meaning, such as an internal system code, may not match the item you have in mind. Try the full name instead. If you know the component key, or your Admin has set up a custom ID search field, type that value to get an exact match at the top of the results.
I just created an item and it isn't showing.
Indexing is near-real-time but not instant. New or updated items may take a short while to appear.
Current limitations
Six item types are indexed today. Workspaces, viewpoints, references, and individual fields are not.
Viewpoints can be opened or created via the command palette but don't appear in search results.
Indexing is near real time. New or updated items take a short while to appear.
More than 100 languages are supported, but results are best when your query and the content are in the same language.
Search history and saved searches aren't available yet.
Abbreviations and acronyms that have no inherent meaning, such as internal system codes, may not be matched by meaning. Search by the full name, or by the component key or custom ID, instead.
FAQ
Will semantic search find an item if I don't know its name?
Yes. That's the main thing it's good at. Describe what you're after in your own words and the search uses meaning, not exact keywords, to surface the right items. For example, "source control tool for development" can return Git or Bitbucket even though those words aren't in the query.
Who can use semantic search?
Organizations with AI features enabled on the new Ardoq experience. An Admin turns it on under Organization settings > Search settings. Organizations without AI features keep classic keyword search.
Does my organization's data leave Ardoq when I use semantic search?
No. Embedding and ranking happen on Ardoq's own infrastructure. Your queries and your content aren't sent to third-party AI providers.
What happens when I turn semantic search off?
The search bar falls back to classic keyword search. You can still find items, but only when the words you type match the words in their name or description.
Can users find items they don't have permission to see?
No. Search is permission-aware. Items you don't have read access to don't appear in your results, even if they would be a strong semantic match.
What happens when I rename or update an item?
The change is picked up automatically. Indexing is near real time, so the renamed or updated item appears with its new values within a short time. You don't need to re-index anything yourself.