Another Oracle Text Tip
May 10, 2011
We ran a query about Oracle text search on Google the other day. We were surprised and almost delighted that Beyond Search appears near the top of the results list. We would prefer that the vendor appear at the top of the results list for information about the vendor’s own search engine. The goslings try, but the vendor has an obligation to provide a flow of on point, timely information about its products in our opinion. Believe it or not, a number of vendors are falling behind in providing information to their licensees. We hope this tardiness is not a trend.
Anyhoo, here’s another useful nugget of Oracle information for DBAs and users alike. DbaSupport.com posted up an article titled “Oracle Text – Expanding Your String Searching Capabilities in Oracle Database”.
When the SQL WHERE clause falls short, the LIKE condition can generally be manipulated in creative ways to produce the results you need. One mustn’t stop with LIKE; LIKEC, LIKE2 and LIKE 4 exist and are explained here. The drawback is that there is a level of honing required to apply these, namely you need a pretty good idea of what you are looking for and where it is located.
So for broken and complex strings or searches in larger data sets, Oracle Text can help. Directly from the article we absorbed:
“The four index types (generally domain indexes for that matter) and their query operators are:
- CONTEXT, using CONTAINS
- CTXCAT, using CATSEARCH
- CTXRULE, using MATCHES
- CTXPATH, using existsNode()
Some of the indexes also use parameters, and those will be examined in subsequent articles. The query operator names are somewhat intuitive in how they support the index type. In a context search (based on large coherent documents), we want to know if the text contains what we’re looking for. For many, but smaller documents (also of various types), we have to search through a catalog, so we perform a catalog search. In most contexts, we know that rules require a match, and one thing you can’t escape in XML is searching a path to see if something exists (at a node).”
We’ll spare you the needle/haystack reference. Just consider tucking this tip away for later.
Sarah Rogers, May 10, 2011
Freebie unlike some of the engineering services provided by search vendors to licensees who are working to make these findability products “find”
Autonomy Extends Linklaters Relationship
May 10, 2011
In August 2009, we published “Autonomy … De Facto Standard for Global Law Firms”. We saw another news item about one of the firms mentioned in that write up, Linklaters.
According to the “Linklaters Selects Autonomy’s IDOL for Enterprise Search Easy Search Interface and Conceptual Search To Boost Productivity at Leading Global Law Firm,” the leading global firm Linklaters is embracing Autonomy’s IDOL technology. IDOL or Intelligent Data Operating Layer is an innovative users-oriented enterprise search platform.
We learned:
In a project spearheaded by Autonomy and longstanding Autonomy partner, Okana, now part of the Realise group, Linklaters selected Autonomy’s IDOL for enterprise search due to its unique conceptual abilities, language independence, scalability and ability to connect to virtually every data repository.
Though there are other search tools on the market Autonomy’s technology is so popular because the user specific enterprise helps to boost productivity. The write up asserted:
Okana’s Sense User Interface combined with Autonomy’s IDOL enterprise search provides our lawyers with an intuitive interface designed with them in mind, allowing both implicit and active conceptual searches that deliver only the most relevant information.
When it comes to the courtroom, Autonomy is a hard case to beat. Is this an extension of an existing Autonomy deal or a new one? We are not sure. Obviously Linklaters is a happy IDOL user.
April Holmes, May 10, 2011
Freebie
BA-Insight Sees Opportunity through Azure Colored Glasses
May 9, 2011
It seems that BA Insight is embracing the media marketing trend as they showcase their new technology on Microsoft Channel 9. The interview and article “Building On Azure: BA Insight” which are located on the Microsoft Channel 9 Web Site provide some interesting details about the new search technology. BA Insight integrated its new search technology into FAST and SharePoint 2010. A passage that caught my attention was:
BA Insight’s advanced user interface, which, among other things, removes the burden of having to download content to assess relevance. Using this technology, individual pages, slides, or worksheets can be previewed without downloading the entirety of any one file.
Cloud computing through Microsoft Office 365 and the Windows Azure Platform allow BA Insight to handle heavy workloads efficiently. The cloud is still a relatively new technology but the possible implications of the technology could provide Microsoft customers with notable options. However, the cloud computing problems that have struck the very popular Amazon do raise doubt but maybe Azure can prove that there is light at the end of the tunnel?
Is the cloud the future of computing? It seems to make sense for organizations struggling to contain computing costs and cope with staffing challenges. However, the assumption is that organizations can afford the bandwidth and the risk of losing a connection when a big deal is in the balance. Google is cheerleading for cloud computing as well.
What happens when a cloud based search system is unavailable? Employees will have to scramble. The big deal may be saved but at what cost? Will senior managers and CFOs listen and act? Sure, until there is an Amazon event. Everything works on paper and in PowerPoint presentations. The real world often behaves in unexpected ways.
Alice Holmes, May 9, 2011
Freebie
Recommind and LexisNexis Team to Generate More Revenue
May 9, 2011
Recommind has moved from eDiscovery to enterprise search and back again. The latest tactic in the firm’s growth strategy is a tie up with LexisNexis. This unit of Reed Elsevier has emerged as one of the leading non US owned firms delivering legal information in America and elsewhere. LexisNexis has been working overtime to cope with changing buying patterns among consumers of high end commercial online content. LexisNexis has branched into new markets, including data analytics and various legal back office services.
Recommind announced in “Recommind Forms Strategic Alliance With LexisNexis for Hosted eDiscovery Service” a new deal with LexisNexis. The idea is to apply the well known online dream of 1+1=2, maybe 3 or more. The news announcement said the tie up was “A strategic hosting and sales alliance” the two companies promises “rapid deployment of [Recommind’s] Axcelerate On-Demand” and LexisNexis’ Hosted Litigation Solutions group.
The goal we learned is to:
“provide more options and greater flexibility in discovery. . . dramatically reduce the costs and timelines associated with document review and analysis as part of litigation and regulatory investigations.”
In addition, the alliance offers “top-tier infrastructure capabilities, globally diverse IP network,” as well as security against disastrous loss events.
The business alliance will answer 2010 customer demand “for Axcelerate On-Demand with Predictive Coding.” It is designed to offer corporations and law firms to meet their review information needs, budgetary demands, and critical timelines for all of their cases, no matter how complex, changing “’the way corporations and law firms manage litigation in 2011 and into the future.’”
Sounds very good. Now we have to wait to see if there is an impact on other competitors in the over-crowded legal sector and if the river of revenues pulls a swollen Mississippi or maintains the current flow.
Jane Livingston, May 9, 2011
Freebie unlike commercial online legal and news information or special purpose search solutions
KPMG Meijburg Selects Autonomy
May 5, 2011
RedOrbit reports “KPMG Meijburg & Co Boosts Productivity With Autonomy’s Meaning Based Computing.” The tax consultancy hopes to use Autonomy’s Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL) to enhance productivity across its enterprise. According to the write up:
IDOL delivers KPMG Meijburg’s tax consultants all relevant information from numerous sources, such as SharePoint, intranets and the Web, either as relevant and timely results to search queries, or via personalized information delivery models, such as Agents. Understanding users’ interests in and expertise on specific topics, Agents allow 24/7 dynamic monitoring of business-critical information through automated alerts, enabling KPMG Meijburg to stay ahead of the competition, while categorization, automatic hyperlinking and clustering allow quick identification of market trends, risks or opportunities.
The firm seems to know that, in order to stay competitive, professional services organizations must apply all effective tools possible to perform better and faster for their clients. Semantic, or meaning-based, tools will only continue to grow, making them more indispensible as time goes on.
The real news for the failed Web masters and English majors who pooh-pooh Autonomy’s technology is that Autonomy is closing in on $1.0 billion in sales. How many SEO and CMS consulting firms hit that benchmark?
Cynthia Murrell, May 5, 2011
Freebie unlike SEO and CMS consulting
Exalead Embraces SWYM or “See What You Mean”
May 3, 2011
In late April 2011, I spoke with Francois Bourdoncle, one of the founders of Exalead. Exalead was acquired by Dassault Systèmes in 2010. The French firm is one of the world’s premier engineering and technology products and services companies. I wanted to get more information about the acquisition and probe the next wave of product releases from Exalead, a leader in search and content processing. Exalead introduced its search based applications approach. Since that shift, the firm has experienced a surge in sales. Organizations such as the World Bank and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (IBM) have licensed the Exalead Cloudview platform.
I wanted to know more about Exalead’s semantic methods. In our conversation, Mr. Bourdoncle told me:
We have a number of customers that use Exalead for semantic processing. Cloudview has a number of text processing modules that we classify as providing semantic processing. These are: entity matching, ontology matching, fuzzy matching, related terms extraction, categorization/clustering and event detection among others. Used in combination, these processors can extract arbitrary sentiment, meaning not just positive or negative, but also along other dimensions as well. For example, if we were analyzing sentiment about restaurants, perhaps we’d want to know if the ambiance was casual or upscale or the cuisine was homey or refined.
When I probed about future products and services, Mr. Bourdoncle stated:
I cannot pre-announce future product plans, I will say that Dassault Systèmes has a deep technology portfolio. For example, it is creating a prototype simulation of the human body. This is a non-trivial computer science challenge. One way Dassault describes its technology vision is “See-What-You-Mean”. Or SWYM.
For the full text of the April 2011 interview with Mr. Bourdoncle, navigate to the ArnoldIT.com Search Wizards Speak subsite. For more information about Exalead, visit www.exalead.com.
Stephen E Arnold, May 3, 2011
No money but I was promised a KYFry the next time I was in Paris.
Visualization Tools for Data Analysis
May 2, 2011
Just like consumers companies often compare the products on the market. Companies gather loads of data to help them meet the needs of their clients and stay productive. Visualization is an important data analysis tool that transforms text into graphics in order to make the data easier to comprehend. Users can then study the graphics and look for trends or patterns.
The hefty price tag for visualization tools often make them seem unattainable for many. The Computerworld article “22 Free Tools For Data Visualization and Analysis” provides an in depth review of 22 free tools that can be used in data visualization and analysis. Statistical analysis, data cleaning and mapping are just a few tools available.
With data analysis such an important part of staying competitive in the business world, companies must have the tools needed in order to effectively do the job. With nothing to lose, but maybe a little time, this deal seems too good to pass up. This is worth downloading and tucking away. Useful article.
April Holmes, May 2, 2011
Freebie
TNR Global and Its Take on Enterprise Search
April 30, 2011
I was poking around with my Overflight system and came across four “white papers” about enterprise search. These were produced by TNR Global, a firm which offers scalable Web and search solutions. The company asserts:
TNR Global (TNR) is a systems design and integration company focused on enterprise search and cloud computing solutions. We develop scalable web-based search solutions built on the open source LAMP stack. We have over 10 years of hands-on experience in web systems and enterprise search implementations, both proprietary and open source. We specialize in FAST ESP and Lucene Solr search applications.
The company says that it has three specialties; namely:
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) platform for deploying applications into the cloud
FAST Enterprise Search Platform (ESP) and Lucene Solr implementations for data intensive web sites
Web based system administration and application management.
The “white papers” are available at http://goo.gl/28rKa. The topics covered are:
- Enterprise Search Basics
- Enterprise Search and Government
- Enterprise Search for Law Firms
- Enterprise Search and E-Discovery
I took a quick look and I found that the approach was interesting. In the basics white paper, TNR explains that Web search is not enterprise search. To provide some substance to the definition of enterprise search, TNR identifies four ways to apply enterprise search: eCommerce, market management, online media and publishing, and risk management and eDiscovery. The Enterprise Search and Government “white paper” is one page in length. The Enterprise Search for Law Firms white paper explains eDiscovery and identifies such functions as faceted navigation, role based search, clustering, relevance ranking, etc. The Life Sciences white paper blends eDiscovery, referencing the rules for legal procedures.
The most recent news on the firm’s Web site is dated November 2010. The company has a Web log, “Enterprise Search, System Administration, and Cloud Computing.”
In my forthcoming landscape of search book for Pandia.com, I list some of the resellers and integrators known to be working with the search systems I profile. I will try to capture basic information about other niche search consultants as I come across the information.
Stephen E Arnold, April 30, 2011
Freebie
Protected: SharePoint Generates Search Suggestions
April 29, 2011
Nuxeo and the Google Search Appliance
April 28, 2011
I saw a brief news item about the integration of the open source content management system with the Google Search Appliance. Nuxeo already hooks into Lotus Notes and a number of other enterprise applications. The cheery “Great News…Nuxeo Integration with Google Search Appliance” points out:
Nuxeo’s recently announced Google Search Appliance (GSA) connector is an important component for any enterprise indexing and search strategy. Nuxeo content is actively indexed and can be searched using the familiar Google search page. Of course, to access Nuxeo content you still to login and you must have appropriate rights. And because the Nuxeo connector is open source, it can always be customized to meet your specific requirements!
My reaction to this announcement was a question about the cost of scaling a GSA search solution. I covered some of Google’s publicly posted pricing data for its GB 7007 and GB 9009 devices. The article appeared in ETM, a publication of ISIGlobal.com. (This was a for fee column, so you will have to chase down the hard copy of the publication or contact ISIGlobal.com.) I had a couple of comments about the cost of the GSA, particularly when an organization has to upgrade to handle tens of millions of documents.
My reaction is that organizations considering the GSA will want to make certain about the document count and then get written price quotations for the appropriate GSA AND the cost of scaling that Google Search Appliance as the volume of content increases.
The savings from an open source CMS could be consumed by a GSA upgrade unless the licensee does his or her homework.
Stephen E Arnold, April 28, 2011
Freebie unlike the GSA
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