If we know one thing about software (and we do know a few things), it’s that there’s always a tip or a trick out there to make a process faster, whether that’s expanding a search to reduce the chances of creating duplicate records, or finding a new favorite keyboard shortcut that shaves valuable seconds off repetitive actions. And there’s always a new NetSuite tip or trick to learn. Even if you think you know all there is to know about NetSuite, you might learn something below that will instantly increase your productivity. Let’s check it out. 

Inactive Record Search

Data integrity is paramount to keeping your ERP as the best single source of truth within the organization. If you’ve ever created a new record in NetSuite only to later find there was already one there, this NetSuite tip is for you. 

NetSuite’s Inactive Record Search improves the accuracy of your data by including inactive customer or vendor records in search results. When performing a general search, users may be unaware that an inactive record could be relevant. Including inactive records in search results ensures that all possible relevant records are considered in the results. This avoids duplicate record creation and improves the accuracy and completeness of your NetSuite data. 

How do you add inactive records to your search? Simply add a plus sign ( + ) after the search keyword. 

Customizing A Dashboard

Do your eyes glaze over when you see your NetSuite dashboard? Maybe what is shown is not relevant or meaningful to your role. If you didn’t take the time to customize your dashboard on set up, all is not lost. You can customize it at any time with these handy NetSuite tips: 

Customizing Each Dashboard Field
Pick and choose the metrics that mean the most for your role. On the homepage, you see the predetermined dashboard. Hover your mouse over the top right of the field and select Set Up. Next, select the options you want to add to or remove from your dashboard. Once your list is perfected, click Done.

Remove A Dashboard Field
There may be entire fields that don’t pertain to what you do or need. If that’s the case, you can easily remove the entire field by clicking on the field’s dropdown menu and selecting Remove.

Change Dashboard Layouts and Add New Fields
Build your dashboard exactly how you want it. Start by selecting Personalize or Layout from the home screen. Then use these features to add new fields and/or change up the layout of your existing fields. 

Managing Multiple Environments

NetSuite includes access to both a Production environment and a Sandbox environment. And if you’re one who has to switch between the two on a regular basis, it can be a bit of a headache to try to keep track of where you are. The last thing you want to do is spend time inputting data only to find out you entered it into Sandbox instead of Production, or worse—delete multiple critical records only to discover you were in Production instead of Sandbox! 

By default, both environments look the same, and the only way to distinguish between the two is to squint at the upper left corner to see whether or not the word “Sandbox” appears next to the NetSuite logo. 

There’s an easier way: Simply change the color scheme of your Sandbox environment. Since you likely spend most of your time in Production, the color scheme change in Sandbox will be an immediate visual clue as to which environment you’re in. Simply go to Home and select Set Preferences. Scroll down to Appearances and select one of the numerous color schemes available. Once you’ve picked your favorite, scroll to the bottom of the page and select Save. Now you can instantly identify which environment you’re in. 

Easy Keyboard Shortcuts

You might be a hardcore keyboard warrior who much prefers using keyboard shortcuts to mouse movements. We understand—so we’ve gathered a dozen of our favorite keyboard shortcuts from NetSuite below! A few of these might even be worth jotting on a sticky note and pasting to your monitor. (We don’t judge; we’re doing the same!)

1. When inputting a date, type t in the box to autofill with today’s date.
2. Type y to autofill with the previous day’s date.
3. Press Shift + T to autofill with the following day’s date.
4. Type m to autofill with the final day of the current month.
5. To reach the global search bar, press Alt + G (Windows) or Option + G (Mac).
6. Enter the first three letters of several record types in the search bar with either a colon or carat to search specific record types, like cus: for customer, con^ for contact, inv^ for invoice, or emp: for employee.
7. Search only exact matches by putting the term in quotation marks, e.g., “Tech Services Corp.”
8. Add % at the end of a search term for everything that starts with those letters. For instance, tech% will pull up anything that starts with “tech.” 
9. Put percentages around a numeral to pull up any records containing that number, as in %495%.
10. Put an underscore between numbers to pull up customer numbers starting and ending with those numerals. Cu: 4_5, for example, shows customer records 415, 425, 435, etc.
11. To search up to three terms simultaneously, use OR (be sure to type in capital letters) between the terms. For example, Te% OR Tech% OR Techno% would turn up records with any of those prefixes.
12. To see your 12 most recently viewed records, hover over the circular arrow in the top left corner. Click on the record to open it or hover over it and click Edit to change the record.

One More Tip to Improve Your NetSuite Experience

NetSuite is a powerful tool to optimize operations and achieve business objectives. And maximizing your experience can drive faster and stronger adoption across the organization. Which is why CloudExtend exists. Knowing that full NetSuite adoption can often be a challenge for businesses—after all, only about 27% of employees actively utilize their company’s ERP system—we built powerful solutions that drive NetSuite adoption while letting employees work where they spend the most time: in email and Excel. 

Stop the never-ending cycle of manual data entry and analysis, duplicate records, and disconnected systems with the help of industry leading integration with Excel, Outlook, and Google Workspace. We’ll even let you try it for free!