Gap: Search & Filtering Implementation

Status: 🔴 Not Started Priority: Important (Pre-Scale) Estimated Effort: 1-2 days

What's Missing

Search and filtering strategy including:

• Full-Text Search

  • Which approach (PostgreSQL full-text, Elasticsearch, MeiliSearch, Typesense)
  • Indexed fields (patient names, emails, form values)
  • Search ranking/relevance
  • Performance considerations

• Filter Operators

  • Available operators (eq, ne, gt, lt, gte, lte, in, like, ilike)
  • Query string format
  • Complex filters (AND, OR, NOT)
  • Date range filtering
  • Null value filtering

• API Contract

  • Query parameter format (?filter[name]=John&filter[age][gte]=18)
  • Filter validation
  • Error messages for invalid filters
  • Maximum complexity limits

• Performance

  • Required indexes
  • Query optimization strategies
  • Pagination with filters
  • Count queries with filters

• Common Use Cases

  • Patient search by name/email
  • Appointment search by date range/status
  • Form search by type/status
  • Specialist search by specialty

Why Important

1. User Experience - Users need to find data quickly
2. Admin Efficiency - Admins need powerful filtering
3. Performance - Poor search can slow down entire app
4. Scalability - Search strategy impacts scaling decisions

Current State

• API overview mentions filtering exists
• No operator documentation
• No query format specified
• No full-text search strategy

Recommended Location

docs/api/search-and-filtering.md

Success Criteria

• [ ] Search strategy decided (PostgreSQL vs. dedicated search engine)
• [ ] Filter operators documented
• [ ] Query parameter format specified
• [ ] Common use cases documented with examples
• [ ] Performance considerations documented
• [ ] Required indexes identified