Query syntax
Use these confirmed query rules when writing Risk Tool searches.
Boolean logic
| Syntax | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
OR | Match any term or phrase. | inflation OR pricing |
, | Also means OR. | inflation, pricing |
AND | Require all terms or phrases in the same sentence. | inflation AND margin |
AND NOT | Exclude a term or phrase. | silicon AND NOT valley |
& | Shorthand for AND. | inflation & margin |
Use uppercase Boolean words in examples. The search engine recognizes Boolean words case-insensitively, but uppercase is clearer.
The pipe character (|) works as shorthand for OR, for example inflation | pricing.
Use AND NOT with a single term or phrase. Prefer:
a AND NOT b AND NOT c
instead of:
a AND NOT (b OR c)
Precedence
Parentheses group first. AND and AND NOT are evaluated before OR and comma.
| Query | Meaning |
|---|---|
a OR b AND c | a OR (b AND c) |
a AND b OR c | (a AND b) OR c |
(a OR b) AND c | (a AND c) OR (b AND c) |
Parentheses must balance.
Quotes and phrases
A bare multi-word term is treated as a phrase:
supply chain
Use quotes when a phrase contains reserved syntax:
"R&D" OR "margin, pressure" OR "research and development"
Quotes also make matching capitalization-sensitive according to the public query rules.
Case sensitivity
Unquoted search is case-insensitive.
Quoted search respects capitalization. For example, "Motor" is distinct from motor.
Punctuation
These characters are reserved outside quotes:
, ( ) & | ! * ?
Quote literal uses of reserved syntax, such as "R&D" or "AT&T".
Other punctuation such as -, /, ., +, and : is passed through by the web parser. Do not assume punctuation variants normalize automatically. Use OR variants when needed.
Plurals and wildcards
There is no documented automatic stemming or plural expansion in the app parser.
Use * for zero or more characters up to a word boundary:
invest*
Use ? for zero or one character:
investment?
For irregular or risky matches, enumerate terms manually:
company OR companies