Searching a document based on a customer defined metadata schemata

• US 7,711,729 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2007
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Krishnamoorthy, Prakash Sundra, Critchlow, Richard, Zhao, Lei, Fang, Lijiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Hung Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEUNG, HUBERT G
• Application Number:
  US11/745,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20080281781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 707/715
• US Class Current: 707/715
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

Search and filtering of documents with different metadata schemata is enabled using a single index that supports a single schema through decorated namespaces. Each metadata schema submitted to a system is assigned a unique identifier and property names associated with the schema are prefixed with the unique identifier. A single-valued, decorated property is used to indicate whether a submitted document is part of a registered schema in the system. The single-valued properties are converted to a search index table that enables resource-optimized searching and filtering of documents eliminating documents of other schemata by simply checking the association property.

Claims

1. A method to be executed at least in part in a computing device for searching documents with differing metadata schemata, the method comprising:

receiving a document associated with the differing metadata schemata, the differing metadata schemata comprising at least first metadata conforming to a core schema and a second metadata having a custom schema, the custom schema comprising a customer defined metadata schema;

assigning a unique identifier to each of the core schema and the customer defined metadata schema for the received document;

prefixing each of the assigned unique identifiers to a name associated with at least one property in the core schema and at least one property in the customer defined metadata schema to create a new and unique namespace decorated name;

automatically creating an association property comprising a single-valued property in a search index for each of the core schema and the customer defined metadata schema, wherein a plurality of single-valued properties are utilized to perform filtering, wherein a name of each of the plurality of single-valued properties indicates which schema the received document belongs to;

storing the created association property in the search index;

receiving a request for a search query, the received request specifying a search over documents belonging to a set of metadata schemata, the set of metadata schemata including the core schema and the customer defined metadata schema, wherein the request is received from a user associated with the customer defined metadata schema;

in response to receiving the request for the search query, converting the set of metadata schemata into a filter over properties of joint tables containing documents belonging to a plurality of metadata schemata; and

performing the search over the documents belonging to the plurality of metadata schemata using the search index by filtering the documents based on their association properties, wherein filtering the documents comprises eliminating documents which the single-valued property does not indicate as being associated with the customer defined metadata schema.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the document, modifying the association property to indicate that the document is associated with the core schema and the custom schema, wherein modifying the association property includes setting a value of the association property to “

true”

for the document associated with the core schema and the custom schema.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering the customer defined metadata schema.

4. A system for searching documents with differing metadata schemata, the system comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

receive a document associated with the differing metadata schemata, the differing metadata schemata comprising at least first metadata conforming to a core schema and a second metadata having a custom schema, the custom schema comprising a customer defined metadata schema;

assign a unique identifier to each of the core schema and the customer defined metadata schema for the received document;

prefix each of the assigned unique identifiers to a name associated with at least one property in the core schema and at least one property in the customer defined metadata schema to create a new and unique namespace decorated name;

automatically create an association property comprising a single-valued property in a search index for each of the core schema and the customer defined metadata schema, wherein a plurality of single-valued properties are utilized to perform filtering, wherein a name of each of the plurality of single-valued properties indicates which schema the received document belongs to;

store the created association property in the search index;

receive a request for a search query, the received request specifying a search over documents belonging to a set of metadata schemata, the set of metadata schemata including the core schema and the customer defined metadata schema;

in response to receiving the request for the search query from a user associated with the customer defined metadata schema, convert the set of metadata schemata into a filter over properties of joint tables containing documents belonging to a plurality of metadata schemata; and

perform the search over the documents belonging to the plurality of metadata schemata using the search index by filtering the documents based on their association properties, wherein filtering the documents comprises eliminating documents which the single-valued property does not indicate as being associated with the customer defined metadata schema; and

provide results of the search to the user.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to modify names of all properties associated with the received document to include the unique identifiers.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a metadata store for storing the differing metadata schemata; and

a document store for storing documents received from customers.

7. A computer-readable storage medium with instructions encoded thereon for searching documents with differing metadata schemata, the encoded instructions executed by a processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving a document associated with the differing metadata schemata, the differing metadata schemata comprising at least first metadata conforming to a core schema and a second metadata having a custom schema, the custom schema comprising a customer defined metadata schema;

assigning a unique identifier to each of the core schema and the customer defined metadata schema for the received document;

prefixing each of the assigned unique identifiers to a name associated with at least one property in the core schema and at least one property in the customer defined metadata schema to create a new and unique namespace decorated name;

automatically creating a single-valued association property in a search index for each of the core schema and the customer defined metadata schema, wherein a plurality of single-valued association properties are utilized to perform filtering, wherein a name of each of the plurality of single-valued association properties indicates which schema the received document belongs to;

storing the created single-valued association property in the search index along with core properties for the document associated with the search index;

receiving a request for a search query, the received request specifying a search over documents belonging to a set of metadata schemata, the set of metadata schemata including the core schema and the customer defined metadata schema;

in response to receiving the request for the search query, converting the set of metadata schemata into a filter over properties of joint tables containing documents belonging to a plurality of metadata schemata; and

performing the search over the documents belonging to the plurality of metadata schemata using the search index by filtering the documents based on their created single-valued association properties, wherein filtering the documents comprises eliminating documents which the created single-valued association property does not indicate as being associated with the customer defined metadata schema.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein a value of the created single-valued association property is set to “

true”

for a document associated with the core schema and the custom schema and to “

false”

for a document not associated with the core schema and the custom schema.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein filtering the documents includes eliminating documents with the created single-valued association property values of “

false”

from the search over the documents belonging to the plurality of metadata schemata.