---
title: Ranking basics
slug: '1206'
canonical_url: https://docs.coveo.com/en/1206/
collection: coveo-for-salesforce
source_format: adoc
---
# Ranking basics

[.version.c4sf.c4sf-edition.c4sf-pro-enterprise]
[Pro and Enterprise editions](https://docs.coveo.com/en/l2590456#salesforce)


Establishing the ranking of a Coveo [item](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) is done in four phases:

* **Phase 1**: Determines the Coveo items to which the user has access.
The user email address is used by the Coveo security providers - specifically the Email Security Provider as a single sign-on (SSO) - to match security entries within the security cache.
* **Phase 2 and 3**: Match expressions to content and field values.
* **Phase 4**: Evaluates frequency, proximity, and term value.

In the end, a total of a thousand (1,000) Coveo Items are confirmed and form the result list.

Ranking strategies that may be applied to alter the ranking score of a result are:

[%header,cols="4*"]
|===
|Ranking strategy
|Phase applicability
|Recommended usage
|Recommended approach

|Ranking expression
|Query
|Best practice
|For a Cloud index using the [Coveo Administration Console](https://docs.coveo.com/en/183/) (see [Manage ranking expressions](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3375/)) or using [$qre](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1462#qre) query expression.

|Ranking override
|Index
|Not preferred
|For a Cloud index using the [Coveo Administration Console](https://docs.coveo.com/en/183/) (see [Manage ranking weights](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3412/)) or using [$weight](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1462#weight) query expression.
|===

You can see the ranking score of a search result by selecting Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and double-clicking any given result list, which opens the debug panel (see [Use the JavaScript Search Debug Panel](https://docs.coveo.com/en/434/)).