Integrated full text search system and method

• US 8,352,463 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2008
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Nayak, Tapas Kumar, Khanolkar, Nimish
• Primary Examiner(s): LY, CHEYNE D
• Application Number:
  US12/122,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 707/715, 707/741, 707/723, 707/728, 707/748, 709/203, 701/500, 715/700
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/31 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated full-text search architecture that integrates full text search with database server applications in a tight manner so that it becomes part of the server in all aspects including storage, metadata, query processing, back/up restore and resource management. This provides improved performance with respect to queries as well as improved manageability. Furthermore, the subject architecture is open and schema directed unlike other conventional full-text search architectures. Accordingly, the full-text search architecture enables expert users (e.g., search providers) to define their own index structures as well as ranking algorithms.

Claims

1. A computer system configured to generate search results, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including instructions stored thereon that upon execution by the processor cause the computer system to;

store a plurality of documents;

retrieve a first index schema and a first ranking algorithm from a first third-party plug-in;

retrieve a second index schema and a second ranking algorithm from a second third party plug-in;

generate, using first the index schema, a plurality of first search indexes for the plurality of documents;

rank, using the first ranking algorithm, a first plurality of documents based on the first plurality of search indexes

generate, using the second index schema, a plurality of second search indexes for a second portion of the plurality of documents; and

rank using the second ranking algorithm, a second plurality of documents based on the second plurality of search indexes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first third-party plug-in defines a full-text index schema.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first third-party plug-in specifies how search indexes are to be populated.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first third-party plug-in is for a particular information domain.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to generate the plurality of search indexes for the plurality of documents further comprise instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to:

identify keywords in the plurality of documents, the keywords defined by a list of keywords retrieved from the first third-party plug-in.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to generate the plurality of search indexes for the plurality of documents further comprise instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to:

remove noise words, the noise words defined by a list of noise words retrieved from the first third-party plug-in.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to rank the plurality of documents further comprise instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to:

modify a query expression based on information retrieved from the first third-party plug-in.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to rank the plurality of documents further comprise instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to:

modify the query expression using a thesaurus retrieved from the first third-party plug-in.

9. An article of manufacture including instructions stored thereon that upon execution cause a computer system to:

store a document;

retrieve, from a third-party plug-in, an index schema, the index schema describing how search indexes are populated;

retrieve from the third-party plug-in, a relevance algorithm,

generate a search index for the document, the search index generated in accordance with the relevance algorithm and in accordance with information in the index schema that describes how search indexes are populated; and

generate, using the search index, a search result identifying the document.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, further comprising instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to:

modify a query expression.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to modify the query expression further comprise instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to:

modify the query expression within a daemon process.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 9, further comprising instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to:

retrieve a set of keywords that are diminutive in value from the third-party plug-in; and

remove keywords that are diminutive in value as search criteria from the document.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the instructions that that upon execution cause the computer system to generate the search index for the document further comprise instructions that upon execution cause the computer system to:

identify keywords in the document, the keywords defined by a list of keywords retrieved from the third-party plug-in; and

store the identified keywords in the search index.

14. A method for execution by a computer system, the method comprising:

storing, by a database management program, a document;

retrieving, by the database management program, an index schema from a third-party plug-in, the third-party plug-in associated with a particular information domain;

retrieving, by the database management program, a relevance algorithm from the third party plug in;

identifying, by the database management program, keywords in the document, the keywords defined by the index schema;

storing the keywords in a search index for the document;

receiving a query;

generating a query expression from the query;

executing the query expression on the search index with the relevance algorithm; and

obtaining a search result listing at least the document.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

ranking, using a ranking algorithm retrieved from the third-party plug-in, documents in the search result.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein further comprising:

modifying, by a daemon process executing on the computer system, the query expression.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the particular information domain is for medical information.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the particular information domain is a product catalog.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the particular information domain is for customer information.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the particular information domain is for legal information.