Federated search

• US 8,290,947 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2011
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Brette, Marc, Chevalier, Pierre-Yves, Rankov, Alex, Spivak, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US13/103,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20110208775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 707/716, 707/723, 707/790, 705/5, 705/26, 705/65
• US Class Current: 707/728
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Federated search is disclosed. A result associated with a search of a content source not natively configured to provide content type data for content items is received. A content type is associated with a content item included in the result based at least in part on information associated with the result.

Claims

1. A system for managing content comprising:

A processor configured to;

receive at a content management system that is organized by content item type a search query using a content type data to request one or more content items;

split the search query into a first split search query and a second split search query;

cause the first split search query to search an internal repository, wherein the internal repository is organized by content item type;

cause the second split search query to search in an external content source, wherein the external content source is not natively configured to provide content type data for content items;

receive a first result associated with the first split search query of the internal repository;

receive at the content management system a second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source;

associate a content type with a content item included in the second result based at least in part on an information associated with the second result;

combine the first result and the second result at a time subsequent to associating the content type with the content item included in the second result;

provide the combined results; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the information associated with the second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein the information associated with the second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source includes metadata associated with the content item.

4. A system as in claim 1, the information associated with the second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source includes information about the content source.

5. A system as in claim 1, the information associated with the second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source includes information associating the content type with the content source.

6. A system as in claim 1, wherein the internal repository comprises a content management system and the external content source comprises an external source of content that is external to the content management system.

7. A system as in claim 1, wherein the external content source comprises one of the following:

a content management system, a database system, a legacy content management system, an information source system, or a search services system.

8. A system as in claim 1, wherein causing the first split search query to search an internal repository includes translating the request into a form associated with the internal repository.

9. A system as in claim 1, wherein causing the second split search query to search in an external content source includes translating the request into a form associated with the external content source.

10. A system as in claim 9, wherein the request comprises a more general request.

11. A system as in claim 10, wherein receiving the second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source includes post-filtering the second result to check that the results are relevant to the requested search of the content source.

12. A system as in claim 1, wherein causing the second split search query to search in the external content source includes providing authentication information to the external content source.

13. A system as in claim 1, wherein receiving the second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source includes translating the second result into a form associated with the content management system with respect to which the external content source comprises an external source.

14. A system as in claim 1, wherein the second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source includes information enabling the second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source to be obtained again from the external content source.

15. A system as in claim 1, wherein receiving the second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source includes one or more of the following:

adding, querying for, or generating the information associated with the second result.

16. A computer program product for managing content, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving at a content management system that is organized by content item type a search query using a content type data to request one or more content items;

splitting the search query into a first split search query and a second split search query;

causing the first split search query to search an internal repository, wherein the internal repository is organized by content item type;

causing the second split search query to search in an external content source that is not natively configured to provide content type data for content items;

receiving a first result associated with the first split search query of the internal repository;

receiving at the content management system a second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source;

associating a content type with a content item included in the second result based at least in part on an information associated with the second result;

combining the first result and the second result at a time subsequent to associating the content type with the content item included in the second result; and

providing the combined results.

17. A method for managing content comprising:

receiving at a content management system that is organized by content item type a search query using a content type data to request one or more content items;

splitting the search query into a first split search query and a second split search query;

causing the first split search query to search an internal repository, wherein the internal repository is organized by content item type;

causing the second split search query to search in an external content source that is not natively configured to provide content type data for content items;

receiving a first result associated with the first split search query of the internal repository;

receiving at the content management system a second result associated with the second split search query of the external content source;

associating a content type with a content item included in the second result based at least in part on an information associated with the second result;

combining the first result and the second result at a time subsequent to associating the content type with the content item included in the second result; and

providing the combined results.