science

Search-based application

Search-based application is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Search-based application rather than just read about it. In short: A search-based application is a software application in which a search engine platform is used as the core infrastructure for information access and reporting. Search-based applications use semantic technologies to aggregate, normalize and classify unstructured, semi-structured and/or structured content across multiple repositories, and employ natural language technologies for accessing the aggregated information.

Key takeaways

Search-based application belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Search-based application to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Search-based application from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A search-based application is a software application in which a search engine platform is used as the core infrastructure for information access and reporting. Search-based applications use semantic technologies to aggregate, normalize and classify unstructured, semi-structured and/or structured content across multiple repositories, and employ natural language technologies for accessing the aggregated information.

Pre-conditions Search-based applications are fully packaged applications that:

Are built on a search backbone to enable sub-second access to information in multiple formats and from multiple sources Are delivered as a unified work environment to support a specific task or workflow, for example: eDiscovery, financial services regulatory compliance, fraud detection, voice of the customer, sales prospecting, pharmaceutical research, anti-terrorism intelligence, or customer support. Integrate all the tools that are commonly needed for that specific task or workflow, including: Multi-source information access Authoring Collaboration Business process Reporting and analysis Alerting Visualization Provide pre-configured data integration with multiple repositories of information in multiple formats as appropriate for the application domain. Integrate domain knowledge to support the particular task, including industry taxonomies and vocabularies, internal processes, workflow for the task, connectors to specialized collections of information, and decision heuristics typical of the field. Provide a compelling user interface and interaction design that eliminates the need for users to “pogo stick” or continually jump from one application to another. This buffers the user from the complexity of operating separate applications and enables them to focus on getting work done. Are quick to deploy, easy to customize or extend, and economical to administer

Practical uses Search-based applications are used for a variety of purposes, including:

Enterprise Business Applications: For example, customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, Supply Chain Management, Compliance & Discovery, and business intelligence Web Applications: Typically, business to business, business to consumer, and consumer to business applications that mash-up data and functionality from diverse sources (databases, Web content, user-generated content, mapping data and functions, etc.) The use of a search platform as the core infrastructure for software applications has been enabled largely by two search engine features: 1) Scalability 2) Ad hoc access to multiple heterogeneous sources from a single point of access. Search-based applications have proven popular and effective because they provide a dynamic, scalable access infrastructure that can be integrated with other features that information workers need: task-specific, and easy to use work environments that integrate features that are usually designed to be used as separate applications, collaborative features, domain knowledge, and security. Search engines are not a replacement for database systems; they are a complement. They have been optimally engineered to facilitate access to information, not to record and store transactions. In addition, the mathematical and statistical processors integrated to date into search engines remain relatively simple. At present, therefore, databases still provide a more effective structure for complex analytical functions. Search applications also focus on providing quality results considering search relevancy.

See also Agile application Agile development Business Intelligence 2.0 (BI 2.0) Enterprise Search Search oriented architecture Software as a service

References

Further reading Worldwide Search and Discovery 2009 Vendor Shares: An Update on Market Trends, IDC #223926, July, 2010 by Susan Feldman and Hadley Reynolds. Butler Group Webinar on Search Based Applications Archived 2011-01-12 at the Wayback Machine explaining search-based applications and how they work Presentation on Search Based Applications by Information Builders IDC Executive Brief "The Information Advantage: Information Access in Tomorrow's Enterprise," October 2009, downloadable from the Exalead.com website. Adapted from Hidden Costs of Information Work: A Progress Report and Worldwide Search and Discovery Software 2009–2013 Forecast Update and 2008 Vendor Shares by Susan Feldman, IDC. IDC Search and Discovery Software: 2009 Market Map KMWorld article Search-based applications support critical decision making Kellblog post IDC's Definition of Search-Based Applications Steve-Kearns' Building Multilingual Search Based Applications presentation at Apache Lucene EuroCon 2010 conference Information Today article Attivio Upgrades Its Active Intelligence Engine Debugging Search Application Relevance Issues by Grant Ingersoll. Accessed October 22, 2014. Explanatory video on search-based applications and content analysis Introduction to the SBA framework

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Search-based application

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Search-based application claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Search-based application before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Search-based application ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Search-based application

In research: Search-based application appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Search-based application in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Search-based application is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Enterprise application integration, Internet search engines, Internet terminology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Search-based application outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Search-based application in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Search-based application means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Search-based application out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Search-based application in simple terms?

Why does Search-based application matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Search-based application?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Search-based application.