The BoilerBase Inquiry function does the equivalent of the filtering functions, but it has critical advantages. For one thing, the criteria for determining a match are not restricted to text strings in the various message parts. One Inquiry definition can contain one, two, or all of the Boolean operators, each of which can be employed multiple times. Even the most powerful filtering functions fail to offer what BoilerBase provides by allowing any subset to be targeted by any categorizing or inquiry operation One Inquiry definition can contain any number of inquiries as matching criteria, and those contained inquiries can, in turn, contain any number of other inquiries, and so on. Finally there is a way to organize real-life information in a way that is efficient and structured, without being over simplified and unnatural.
Some mailers allow users to create filters to be run on folders as well as on incoming mail.
That way, any time they feel they have accumulated too many messages in a given folder users can subdivide that folder among several other folders, by creating filters to be run over it. Perhaps one folder represents too general of a grouping or, perhaps a user has never defined a filter or performed any manual sorting and consequently has 10 thousand e-mail messages in his inbox. Directing a filtering operation to work on a folder can be of use in these situations. The BoilerBase Inquiry function surpasses the most powerful Filtering tools. Moreover, this function can target any selectable subset at all, including any category, any folder, any inquiry category, any sender, any recipient, any subject, or any combination of any of these types of subsets.