Deinstalling Oracle Text
January 5, 2011
We received an email from one of our two or three readers asking about this link to Oracle’s own documentation for deinstalling Oracle Text. The link is to Oracle’s Help Web site, but when you click the link to the deinstallation information, you are greeted with a log in screen.
What does one do if the engineer working on the deinstallation does not have a user name and password. Clients have been known to lose track of these items in our experience. Trial and error is not a recommended approach. Oracle Text works its way into the “Oracle environment” and can become irritated if tasks are not undertaken in the prescribed order. Fooling around can create quite a bit of excitement. Data corruption, anyone?
If you need deinstallation information, you may want to navigate to Net Cry. There is a non password protected guide to walk you the process: “Manual installation, deinstallation of Oracle Text 10gR1 and 10gR2.” We can’t guarantee that it is congruent with Oracle’s method, but you will find a step-by-step description without any frills and if you read carefully, it should answer all your questions.
Whitney Grace, January 5, 2011
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OpenText Cares
January 5, 2011
Vendors claim that their clients are the most important parts of their companies. They back up this claim with automated customer service hotlines and technical support that creates more answers than questions. OpenText/NStein has released a press statement to assure their clients that they will be treated with respect and care: “OpenText/Nstein’s ongoing commitment to our WCM’s customers.” Here’s a snippet:
“When you contact your Customer Care Center, we readily check for improvements that may have been made for your version of WCM and often customize existing patches for your needs. These patches and fixes are all based on improvements built in the newer versions of WCM; they were ultimately inspired by your ideas and suggestions to the Customer Care Centre and our long experience in content management.”
We find that statements about ongoing commitments are thought provoking. Why make them if the commitment is evident to licensees? Just a question to consider.
Whitney Grace, January 5, 2011
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Exclusive Interview: Francois Bourdoncle, Dassault Exalead
January 4, 2011
Before the New Year break, I interviewed François Bourdoncle, who is the co-founder and Chief Strategist of Exalead, a global leader of information access software for businesses and the Web. You can see the complete interview on Vimeo.
François Bourdoncle, Chief Strategist of Dassault Exalead
As you may know, Dassault Systèmes acquired Exalead in June 2010. In my analyses of search and content processing systems, Exalead has scored at the top of the league table I maintain for many years. Since I first tested the firm’s technology in 2003, Exalead has moved up the league table as other vendors stalled or drifted downwards. Not Exalead, however.
I have been invited to Exalead several times to explain my views about Exalead’s search-based applications approach and my particular method of analyzing content processing. In late 2010, I was able to interview François Bourdoncle after my presentation.
This interview provides insight into how Mr. Bourdoncle’s passion for understanding Internet technologies, and search technologies in particular, can be used as the foundation of next-generation business applications that are faster to develop, less expensive to deploy and operate, and more intuitive to use.
Exalead, asserted Mr. Bourdoncle, takes a platform approach. The platform angle is one key to Exalead’s success. Most vendors repackage traditional key word methods. Exalead has an infrastructure approach which has some characteristics of mainstream database vendors. Exalead supports cloud methods, delivers a holistic view of digital information, and provides a new way of performing many enterprise tasks, including business intelligence, customer support, and finding the item of information necessary to close a deal.
In the interview Mr. Bourdoncle said:
Key word search does not work…. The question is now how do we help people find the what they want.
I asked Mr. Bourdoncle about the benefits of joining the Dassault organization. He emphasized, “Visibility and the company as a whole.”
The interview runs about eight minutes, and you can access it at this link. For 2011, my suggestion is that organizations wanting to improve such diverse information functions as customer support to business intelligence, check out Exalead. You can also read the Search Wizards Speak interview with Mr. Bourdoncle at this link. If you have not added Exalead’s excellent Web search function to your bookmarks, navigate to http://www.exalead.com/search/. I use this service as my primary Web search system because the results are not distorted by ad-driven hit boosting.
Stephen E Arnold, January 4, 2011
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Arnold January 2011 For-Fee Columns
December 30, 2010
My for-fee columns due on January 1, 2011, are now written. I had to accelerate the pace this month because I have been on the road, enjoying the snow in France and the UK. I will be heading for warmer climes at the end of the month. Keep in mind that the for-fee work is more serious and fact-rich than the content in my Beyond Search Web log. Due to the agreements I sign for these for-fee writings.
Here’s the run down for my for fee August 2010 columns. These will appear over the next four to 12 weeks. Each for-fee publication has a different editorial cycle.
- Enterprise Technology Management. “Google Enterprise Apps: Forcing Competitors to React”. I am now doing a monthly column for the print and online editions of ETM, which is a publication aimed at global information technology managers. I kick off 2011 by looking at what I think is the real reason Google is pushing its applications for the enterprise so aggressively.
- Information Today, “Search Interfaces: What Will Work in 2011?” The big news in enterprise search is the user experience. I take a look at a surprising change in how one will “find” information in 2011. You may not have to search at all!
- Information World Review (Bizmedia), “SAP: After Admission of Guilt, What’s Next?” SAP admitted guilt in its dust up with Oracle. So, I consider the question, “What’s next for SAP?”
- KMWorld, “EasyAsk: Cut Loose with Semantics and NLP in 2011?” EasyAsk is now a stand-alone company again. With potent natural language processing capability, what new functionality will NLP provide you? I try to answer this question for KMWorld.
- Smart Business Network, “Is 2011 the Year for You to Create a Social Media Policy?” With Facebook becoming a must-have marketing vehicle, should large and small businesses alike whip up a social media rule book? The idea sounds good, but is it necessary.
The full text of these articles is available directly from their respective publishers.
Stephen E Arnold, December 30, 2010
Freebie but I get paid to write these for fee thingies.
Palantir Explained
December 28, 2010
The Stanford GSB So Speaks Blog gives us details about “Shyam Sankar of Palantir Technologies at the GSB.” Palantir is company focused on counter-terrorism within and by using the digital environment. It’s better explained by this video. If you’ve ever seen an episode of NCIS, this is type of program they use to help them catch the bad guys. Apparently, four engineers developed Palantir within a week and the company was founded by the same team as PayPal—used by many EBay aficionados for secure business transactions. They’ve also invented a new buzzword: intelligence augmentation (IA).
“Palantir focuses on IA, rather than AI (Artificial Intelligence). Sankar mentioned a theory on AI stating that AI will continue to be “around the corner in 10 years” in perpetuity. As a result, Palantir focuses on augmenting the intelligence we already have.”
Palantir appears to be a superhero like program, but they are involved in a legal squabble. I may need intelligence augmentation to figure out who’s on first in that matter.
Stephen E Arnold, December 28, 2010
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Content Tagging Costs
December 27, 2010
We read an interesting blog post called “The Search for Machine-Aided Indexing: Why a Rule-Based System is the Cost-Effective Choice.” Information about the costs of indexing content using different methods is often difficult to locate.
The article provides some useful information; however, I always verify any dollar estimates. Vendors often do custom price quotations, which makes it difficult to compare certain products and services.
Here’s the passage that caught my attention:
The database company manager could not give an exact figure for what their final actual costs were for purchasing Nstein; however, she did state that it was “not cheap.” She admitted that it was more expensive than all of the other MAI software products that they considered. (A press release from Nstein reported that the deal was worth approximately $CAN 450,000). When asked about staffing requirements, the manager estimated that it took the time of five full-time indexers and two indexing managers about a “month or so” at first. She added that there is a need for “constant” (she then rephrased that to “annual”) training. The investment company manager preferred not to discuss the actual implementation costs of Nstein, as there was a good deal of negotiation with non-cash assets involved. (A press release from Nstein of March 14th, 2002 reported that the deal was a five-year deal valued at over $CAN 650,000).
I downloaded this write up and tucked it in my Search 2011 pricing file. One never knows when these types of estimates will come in handy. I noticed on a LinkedIn threat relating to enterprise search that a person posted prices for the Google Search Appliance. I did a bit of clicking around and tracked down the original source of the data: SearchBlox Software. The data on the chart reported prices for the Google Mini. When one explores the US government’s price list for Google appliances that can handle 20 million documents which is a count encountered in some search applications, the cost estimates were off by quite a bit. Think in terms of $250,000, not $3,000.
I use whatever pricing data is available via open source research, and I know that hard data are often difficult to locate. The “appliance” approach is one way to control some costs. The “appliance” is designed to limit, like an iPad, what the user can do. Custom installations, by definition, are more expensive. When rules have to be created for any content processing system, the costs can become interesting.
Stephen E Arnold, December 27, 2010
Freebie, although Access Innovations has bought me one keema nan several weeks ago.
Adeptol Document Viewer Selected by Openfind
December 25, 2010
Openfind, a leader in business mail messaging products recently announced the integration of the Adeptol Document Viewer technology into their current messaging product line. According to the PR-inside article “Openfind Embeds Adeptol Document Viewer In Enterprise Messaging Products” users will be able to view their documents directly within their Openfind email without any additional software. Openfind’s CEO stated:
“Adeptol’s document viewer offers greater customer value and ability to create new business opportunities while delivering quick document viewing, built-in Digital Rights Management, security and scalability to applications.”
For many people this may come as a surprise but Adeptol is actually one of the most advanced and flexible document viewers on the market today. Adeptol’s document viewing technology can easily be integrated into a variety of WebPages, application and system processes. It works with over 300 different document types and is fully customizable. With options such as these, document viewers such as Adeptol and another notable market player Documill speak for themselves.
April Holmes, December 25, 2010
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Mid Tier Consultant Evokes a Small Search Chuckle
December 22, 2010
Short honk: Mark Harrison’s blog has an interesting post about the “Gartner MarketScope for Enterprise Search.” Take a look at the search ranking charts. Does it appear funny to anyone else? Harrison makes an interesting observation that Gartner claims Microsoft has “surged to a leadership position by offering both effective basic search and more sophisticated search for inward- and outward-facing applications.” We think the rankings are amusing, but even more interesting is the fact that procurement teams believe the rankings.
Whitney Grace, December 22, 2010
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Search Wizards Speak: 2010 Wrap Up
December 21, 2010
In 2010, we published 10 exclusive interviews with “Search Wizards”. In the event you missed one of the 2010 interviews, the table below provides one-click access to the interviews. Each interview covers a vendor’s technical approach, key functions their system includes, and insights into future search trends. We have talked with a handful of search wizards twice. Each interview contains different information about search. We try to choose vendors with interesting approaches to content processing and finding information.
The series now contains 50 interviews since January 2008. The information in the full text interviews may prove useful when trying to figure out what different systems deliver. The content collection represents one of the most comprehensive sets of first-person information about search and retrieval available.
The information is available with charge, and you are welcome to use it for library and academic purposes without contacting me. If you are a consulting firm (blue, azure, or colorless), you need to obtain permission in writing prior to your using the information for commercial purposes. I learned in June 2010 that one of the money grubbing mid tier outfits was asking newly hired consultants to “read the information on the ArnoldIT.com Web site” as part of their acculturation process. Imagine how excited I was to have one of the firm’s real live, mid tier professionals tell me about this use of my information. And guess what? The person told me this at a reception for a vendor’s user group meeting. What makes the mid-tier consultants so darned special? Great situational judgment.
| Company | Wizard | Focus |
| Alta Plana | Seth Grimes | Smart content |
| Aster Data | Quentin Gallivan | Big data |
| Autonomy | Fernando Lucini | Health and meaning based computing |
| Digital Reasoning | Tim Estes | Synthesys Version 3 |
| Digital Reasoning | Time Estes | Data fusion and analytics |
| Easy Ask | Craig Bassin | NLP |
| Hot Neuron | Bill Dimm | Clustering |
| Inforbix | Oleg Shilovitsky | Manufacturing & components search |
| Lucid Imagination | Brian Pinkerton | Enterprise open source search |
| Sematext | Otis Gospodnetic | Open source search |
The other companies participating in the interview series are listed on the ArnoldIT.com subsite index page. If you are looking for in-depth information about these vendors and the 250 other search and content processing companies I follow, write me at seaky2000 at yahoo dot com. There are mid tier and lower level consulting firms offering information about search vendors. Where does some of that information originate? If you said, ArnoldIT.com, you might be more correct than you believe.
Oh, I don’t cover firms that are on the edge of the knife. Some of these companies are exiting enterprise information retrieval and others lack the oomph to warrant inclusion in my Overflight service.
Stephen E Arnold, December 21, 2010
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Business Intelligence and Small Businesses
December 21, 2010
The Italian Datamanager has an article titled “The Intelligence and the Conquest of SMEs” that explains how business intelligence (BI) is growing in medium-sized enterprises in Italy’s social market economy (SME).
“The European market is expected to grow Bi in 2010 than in 2009. According to IDC, this increase will be 5.4 percent for both Query & Reporting Tools for the Advanced Analytics, compared to a growth in the previous year respectively by 2.5 percent and 4.9 percent. This increase is due to three main factors: first, the economic situation, which forces companies to look where to optimize for best effect on the bottom line, increased marketing leading provider of BI solutions and the maturity of the market.”
When companies gather business intelligence data, they apply it in a manner that best serves them. The article describes how companies use the data for management control, customer/product analysis, data integration and analysis, and simulated scenarios. The most interesting company profiled is Passepartout. It is developing an internal information access system. This is expensive and time consuming, but will be overall beneficial for Passepartout.
Whiney Grace, December 21, 2010
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