Search-based applications are

software applications Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists o ...

in which a search engine platform is used as the core infrastructure for

information access Information access is the freedom or ability to identify, obtain and make use of database or information effectively. There are various research efforts in information access for which the objective is to simplify and make it more effective for ...

and reporting. Search-based applications use semantic technologies to aggregate, normalize and classify unstructured, semi-structured and/or

structured content Structured content is information or content that is organized in a predictable way and is usually classified with metadata. XML Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstru ...

across multiple repositories, and employ natural language technologies for accessing the aggregated information.

Pre-conditions

Search-based applications are fully packaged applications that:Worldwide Search and Discovery 2009 Vendor Shares: An Update on Market Trends, IDC #223926, July, 2010 by Susan Feldman and Hadley Reynolds. * 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 Domain knowledge is knowledge of a specific, specialized discipline or field, in contrast to general (or domain-independent) knowledge. The term is often used in reference to a more general discipline—for example, in describing a software engin ...

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 Customer relationship management (CRM) is a process in which a business or other organization administers its interactions with customers, typically using data analysis to study large amounts of information. CRM systems compile data from a ra ...

Enterprise Resource Planning Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is the integrated management of main business processes, often in real time and mediated by software and technology. ERP is usually referred to as a category of Business management tools, business management ...

Supply Chain Management In commerce, supply chain management (SCM) is the management of the flow of goods and services including all processes that transform raw materials into final products between businesses and locations. This can include the movement and stor ...

, Compliance & Discovery, and

Business Intelligence Business intelligence (BI) comprises the strategies and technologies used by enterprises for the data analysis and management of business information. Common functions of business intelligence technologies include reporting, online analytical pr ...

* 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 User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content (UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion f ...

, 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.

References

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Pre-conditions

Practical uses

References

Further reading

See also