Document searching system

• US 8,577,865 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2005
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Elsaesser, Thomas, Engel, Liane
• Primary Examiner(s): Leroux, Etienne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cindy
• Application Number:
  US11/168,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20060080295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,052 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/2, 707/4, 707/5, 707/707, 707/723, 707/731, 707/748, 707/752
• US Class Current: 707/707
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3331 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3349 Reuse of stored results of previous queries

Abstract

Searching for documents using different sources includes receiving a search statement containing information for the documents, and determining a search strategy based on the search statement. The search strategy includes first and second search activities for searching first and second sources, respectively, where the first and second search activities are weighted. The first and second sources are searched using the first and second search activities, respectively, where an order in which the first and second search activities are performed is dictated by weightings of the first and second search activities.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of searching documents, said computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a search statement, said search statement comprising at least

a first search query, said first search query comprising a first search value and at least a first search parameter specifying a first data source to search, and

a second search query, said second search query comprising a second search value and at least a second search parameter specifying a second data source to search;

determining a search strategy based on the search statement, the search strategy comprising a search activity for each data source to be searched such that a first search activity and a second search activity for searching said first data source and searching said second data source are created, respectively;

weighting said search activities, said weighting based upon a type of a data source to be searched and a specificity of search value;

searching the first data source and second data source using the first and second search activities respectively, wherein an order in which the first and second search activities are performed is dictated by weightings of the first and second search activities; and

returning a final document search result from said search activities.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said searching comprises:

performing the first search activity to identify a first result set of documents; and

performing the second search activity using the first result set of documents to identify a second result set of documents, said second result set comprising a sub set of said first result set.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the search statement further comprises a third search query, said third search query comprising a third search value and at least a third search parameter specifying a third data source to search and wherein the method further comprises:

performing a third search activity for searching said third search value in said third data source, the third search activity being part of the search strategy, the third search activity using the second result set of documents to identify a third result set of documents, said third result set comprising a sub set of said second result set.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first search activity receives a greater weighting than said second search activity if said first search data source is a full-text data source and said second search data source is not a full-text data source.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a search activity having a first search value with a long string receives a greater weighting than said search activity having a second search value with a short string.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first data source and second data source comprises at least one of a table and a database.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a search activity having a search value with a wildcard receives lower weighting than said search activity having a search value without a wildcard.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the documents are stored in different locations that are accessible over a network.

9. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a set of instructions in a machine-readable storage device for use in searching for documents, said documents having searchable parameters, said searchable parameters stored in more than one different data sources, the set of instructions for causing at least one machine to:

receive a search statement, said search statement comprising at least

a first search query, said first search query comprising a first search value and at least a first search parameter specifying a first data source to search, and

a second search query, said second search query comprising a second search value and at least a second search parameter specifying a second data source to search;

determine a search strategy based on the search statement, the search strategy comprising a search activity for each data source to be searched such that a first search activity and a second search activity for searching said first data source and searching said second data source are created, respectively;

assign weights to said search activities, said weights based upon a type of a data source to be searched and a specificity of search value;

search the first data source and second data source using the first and second search activities respectively, wherein an order in which the first and second search activities are performed is dictated by the weights assigned to the first and second search activities; and

returning a final document search result from said search activities.

10. The computer program product as set forth in claim 9, wherein searching comprises:

performing the first search activity to identify a first result set of documents; and

performing the second search activity using the first result set of documents to identify a second result set of documents, said second result set comprising a sub set of said first result set.

11. The computer program product as set forth in claim 10, wherein the search statement further comprises a third search query, said third search query comprising a third search value and at least a third search parameter specifying a third data source to search and wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions for causing the at least one machine to:

perform a third search activity for searching a third data source, the third search activity being part of the search strategy, the third search activity using the second result set of documents to identify a third result set of documents, said third result set comprising a sub set of said second result set.

12. The computer program product as set forth in claim 10, wherein said first search activity receives a greater weight than said second search activity if said first search data source is a full-text data source and said second search data source is not a full-text data source.

13. The computer program product as set forth in claim 9, wherein a search activity having a first search value with a long string receives a greater weight than said search activity having a second search value with a short string.

14. The computer program product as set forth in claim 9, wherein at least one of the first data source and second data source comprises at least one of a table and a database.

15. The computer program product as set forth in claim 9, wherein a search activity having a first search value with a wildcard receives lower weighting than said search activity having a second search value without a wildcard.

16. The computer program product as set forth in claim 9, wherein the documents are stored in different locations that are accessible over a network.

17. A storage system, said storage system comprising:

storage locations to store two or more documents; and

a processing device that executes instructions to search documents, said documents having searchable parameters, said searchable parameters stored in more than one different data sources, the processing device for executing instructions to;

receive a search statement, said search statement comprising at least

a first search query, said first search query comprising a first search value and at least a first search parameter specifying a first data source to search, and

a second search query, said second search query comprising a second search value and at least a second search parameter specifying a second data source to search;

determine a search strategy based on the search statement, the search strategy comprising a search activity for each data source to be searched such that a search activity and a second search activity for searching said first data source and searching said second data source are created, respectively;

assign weights to said search activities, said weights based upon a type of a data source to be searched and a specificity of search value;

search the first data source and second data source using the first and second search activities respectively, wherein an order in which the first and second search activities are performed is dictated by the weights assigned to the first and second search activities; and

returning a final document search result from said search activities.

18. The system as set forth in claim 17, wherein the instructions implement an input engine, an evaluation engine, a determination engine, and a search engine.