Electronic device and method of searching data records

A method of searching for data records associated with a plurality of applications executable by a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

• prior to receiving a search query, for each application of the plurality of applications executable by the portable electronic device, identifying by the portable electronic device, and storing in a memory of the portable electronic device, respective associated metadata identifying:
• a location of the data records associated with the respective application,
• a mapping of data columns in the data records to respective unified format columns of a unified format utilized by a search client, and filter information including an identification of filterable fields of the data records associated with the application and a filtering method utilized by the application;
• in response to receipt of a search query at the search client:
• constructing, by the search client, a separate application search query for each application of the plurality of applications executable by the portable electronic device, each application search query is constructed utilizing the location of the data records associated with the respective application, the mapping of data columns in the data records to respective unified format columns of a unified format utilized by the search client, and the filter information including an identification of filterable fields of the data records associated with the application and the filtering method utilized by the application of the associated metadata stored in association with the respective application;
• performing, by the search client and utilizing the application search query, a separate search of each of the data records associated with each application of the plurality of applications executable by the portable electronic device, each search generating a search result that includes a plurality of the data records associated with the respective application that accord with the application search query;
• converting, by the search client, the data records of each of the search results generated by the performed searches into the unified format utilizing the mapping of data columns of the metadata associated with the respective application;
• and
• displaying the search results of each of the separate searches in a unified search result in the unified format on a display of the portable electronic device.