---
title: "Search Data in Tables"
url: https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/sdk/android/v2/cloud-scale/search/search-data-in-tables/
description: "Catalyst Search enables data searching in the indexed columns of the tables in the Data Store. It allows you to perform powerful searches through volumes of data with a single search query."
last_updated: 2025-11-19T15:07:41Z
service: Cloud Scale
type: general
related_links:
  - name: "Data Store"
    url: /en/cloud-scale/help/data-store/introduction
  - name: "Search"
    url: /en/cloud-scale/help/search-integration/introduction
  - name: "Search - API"
    url: /en/api/code-reference/cloud-scale/zcql/execute-zcql-query/#ExecuteZCQLQuery
---

# Search

[Catalyst Search](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/cloud-scale/help/search-integration/introduction) enables data searching in the indexed columns of the tables in the [Data Store](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/cloud-scale/help/data-store/introduction). It allows you to perform powerful searches through volumes of data with a single search query.

> **Note:** The columns you search for data must be indexed. You can enable search indexing for a column while [creating it](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/cloud-scale/help/data-store/columns/#create-a-new-column) or by [editing it](https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/cloud-scale/help/data-store/columns/#edit-a-column) later.

### Search Data in Tables

To search for data in a table in a specific pattern, you must specify the table name as the identifier, and add the columns to be searched in. The columns can be added to an array and the array must be passed to the `search()` method along with the keywords to be searched through an instance of the class `ZCatalystSearchOptions`. 

You must construct the search pattern to pass to the `search()` method before you execute a search operation, as shown in the code syntax below.

```bash
ZCatalystApp.getInstance().search(
    searchOptions: ZCatalystSearchOptions,
    success: (Map<String, List<Map<String, Any?>>>) → Unit,
    failure: ((ZCatalystException) → Unit)?
): ZCatalystRequest<ZCatalystResponse<Map<String, List<Map<String, Any?>>>>>?

```

**Parameters**:

* `searchOptions`: The instance of the `ZCatalystSearchOptions` class to be passed to the `search()` method

You can create the instance for `searchOptions()` in the following way:

```bash
ZCatalystSearchOptions(searchText: String, ArrayList<ZCatalystSearchOptions.TableColumns)
   .addSortColumn(tableName: String,columnName: String): Unit
   .setDisplayColumns(displayTableColumns: ArrayList<ZCatalystSearchOptions.TableColumns>): Unit
   .setSearchColumns(searchTableColumns: ArrayList<ZCatalystSearchOptions.TableColumns>): Unit
   .setSearchPattern(pattern: ZCatalystSearchOptions.SearchPattern): Unit

```

A sample code snippet of a search execution is shown below:

```bash
val tableColumns = ZCatalystSearchOptions.TableColumns("EmployeeDetails") //Replace this with your table name
    tableColumns.addColumn("Age") //Replace this with your column name

    val arr = arrayListOf<ZCatalystSearchOptions.TableColumns>()
    arr.add(tableColumns)

    val searchOptions = ZCatalystSearchOptions("26",arr) //Replace this with your search text

    ZCatalystApp.getInstance().search(searchOptions,
        {
            println(">> success - $it")
        },
        {
            println(">> failed - $it")
        })

```