Chapter 2 of 4
Build the search step by step (free)
Step 1: start with the industry
An example task: you offer an accounting service to small IT companies in Riga and need a list of prospects. Start with what the companies do. nace: takes a NACE Rev. 2.1 code, and a broader code includes everything below it, so nace:62 covers computer programming (62.10), IT consultancy (62.20) and other IT services (62.90).
nace:62Not sure of the code? In Build a search, press Choose NACE code, find the activity by its name and choose whether a company must match any of the selected industries (OR) or all of them (AND).
Every company classified in division 62.
Step 2: add the place, legal form and status
Each condition added with a space must match too. address: searches the registered address, type:SIA keeps limited liability companies, and status:REGISTERED keeps only companies that are currently registered.
nace:62 address:Rīga
nace:62 address:Rīga type:SIA status:REGISTEREDRegistered IT companies (SIA) with an address in Riga.
Step 3: alternatives and exclusions
OR accepts either condition, while NOT, or a minus sign directly in front of a condition, leaves matches out. Write these keywords in capitals. FTM reads parentheses first, then NOT, then AND and finally OR, so put alternatives in parentheses.
nace:62 address:Rīga (type:SIA OR type:AS) status:REGISTERED
nace:62 -nace:62.10 address:Rīga status:REGISTERED- The first line also includes public limited companies (AS).
- The second leaves out companies classified as computer programming (62.10) and keeps consultancies and other IT services.
SIA and AS companies together, with the other conditions applied to both.
Step 4: order, size and the search builder
sort:name:asc lists the results alphabetically, and limit:50 keeps only the first 50 in that order. Both are free.
nace:62 address:Rīga type:SIA status:REGISTERED sort:name:asc limit:50Prefer not to type? Build a search adds the same conditions with Add a filter: choose the field and the value, tick Exclude companies matching this condition for NOT, use Add a group with Match any for OR, and set the order under Sorting, history and result limit. Your draft describes the search in words, and View / edit search query shows the text it builds.
The builder opens with this search, ready to change.
People and earlier records
officer: searches board members and other officers, member: shareholders and other members, owner: shareholders and joint owners, and person: every relationship of a natural person. People are found by name only, never by personal code.
By default FTM searches current records. Add history:historical for earlier names, addresses and roles, or history:all for both. The results still show each company’s latest details.
officer:"Jānis Bērziņš"
officer:"Jānis Bērziņš" history:historical
address:"Brīvības iela" history:all status:REGISTERED