How do you use your Knowledge Searches reports?

[Lesley W]

When I look into the Knowledge Searches report (from the Search Log) I find it really hard to make use/sense of it.

The results are partially spelled words and it seems each search gives at least 5 search logs each time.

Is there an easy way to get the 'popular searches' from this?

I've tried to do a report on 'This months top searches' but again it sometimes comes up with 2 letter 'words' where you cannot tell what the person might have been searching for.

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

[Michael QCKM]

Lesly!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

I have been communicating about this since Portals were introduced in house, to the Knowledge Admins at SN, and here. (3+ years!)

• https://community.servicenow.com/community?id=view_idea&sysparm_idea_id=d48622dadb678c5413b5fb243996...

The issue is caused by the Type-Ahead. It logs every 1/2 second by default OOB. It was recommended that we merely turn OFF the type-ahead, but my in house UX team does not want to do that because they see value in it; but I cannot get good metrics, so I argue. 

It is crushing that I am unable to appropriately measure and prove the VALUE of the Self Help Portal Knowledge. I cannot wade through the replicated search entries in that log.

Please keep pushing on this so the vendor will perhaps re-evaluate?

[Michael QCKM]

P.S. In my screenshot above, as a KB Admin, I really only care about the FINAL search string - the longest one at the very top.  All the rest can get out of my way; They are noise.

• If we turned off type-ahead, we'd essentially force them to type their query, then press Search.
• That press would be the trigger to capture their ACTUAL search intention.
• Sure, I'll still need to mire through all the strings to find patterns, and a good AI or Machine Learning would help make sense of "patterns" in the strings to come up with overall "ideas" and search intentions, but it would be a better starting point for me. 
• Today, if I look at "Top Searches Widget", I get the letter "a", or "cat" as the top 2 searches in Knowledge - which I know is not true, and is completely useless.
• So not only is the Top Searches Report useless for users and Admins, but we can also NEVER get to the truth of what users are actually searching, hence NO ability to improve.
• This is the same anywhere the type-ahead is leveraged.

[Barry_W]

I've noticed all the ideas linked from this page are in a 'unlikely to implement' state, and therefore closed. Is anyone aware of an open idea on this subject?

[Michael QCKM]

Nope. I have easily submitted 100+ Enhancement 'Ideas' in the past 3 years, and nearly all of them have timed out. I have not gone through the horrific amount of work required to resubmit most of them. 

It would be nice if there was an easy way to "resubmit" them with all of their votes and insights.... but there's not.

[Rachel38]

In my search log reports, I exclude the 'typeahead' records as well as the other 'Types' I'm not interested in for example 'task view' etc. I have a filter condition 'type is search' and this ensures only the actual searches are displayed on my reports. Not ideal but it's the best I have been able to get.