Thread: Search across multiple sources

Search across multiple sources

From
"Merrall, Graeme"
Date:
I don't think there's an easy way to do this but I thought I better ask just in case.  I'm trying to come up with a way
tosearch across a number of databases without resorting to lots of horrible scripts. In one database I have a lot of
newsstories from our news provider while in another database I have a lot of user entered content. Ideally I'd like to
searchacross both databases via a single web-based search form. 

The obvious way is to create a tsearch index/table in both databases and then to connect to each one in turn and to
mergethe results together but that doesn't seem like the best solution and potentially there could be issues with
rankingand so on. 

Is it possible to create a single search database which can store search data from a number of different databases.
Thisis all on the same server of course.   

Another option I looked at was to use an external search tool lke mnogosearch
(http://www.mnogosearch.ru/doc/msearch-extended-indexing.html#htdb)although since I've used tsearch elsewhere it would
benice to use it here as well. 

Cheers,
 Graeme

Re: Search across multiple sources

From
Oleg Bartunov
Date:
Why not use schema and single search table contains indices from
different schemes (use trigger to update search table)

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004, Merrall, Graeme wrote:

>
> I don't think there's an easy way to do this but I thought I better ask just in case.  I'm trying to come up with a
wayto search across a number of databases without resorting to lots of horrible scripts. In one database I have a lot
ofnews stories from our news provider while in another database I have a lot of user entered content. Ideally I'd like
tosearch across both databases via a single web-based search form. 
>
> The obvious way is to create a tsearch index/table in both databases and then to connect to each one in turn and to
mergethe results together but that doesn't seem like the best solution and potentially there could be issues with
rankingand so on. 
>
> Is it possible to create a single search database which can store search data from a number of different databases.
Thisis all on the same server of course. 
>
> Another option I looked at was to use an external search tool lke mnogosearch
(http://www.mnogosearch.ru/doc/msearch-extended-indexing.html#htdb)although since I've used tsearch elsewhere it would
benice to use it here as well. 
>
> Cheers,
>  Graeme
>
> ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 4: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster
>

    Regards,
        Oleg
_____________________________________________________________
Oleg Bartunov, sci.researcher, hostmaster of AstroNet,
Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow University (Russia)
Internet: oleg@sai.msu.su, http://www.sai.msu.su/~megera/
phone: +007(095)939-16-83, +007(095)939-23-83

Re: Search across multiple sources

From
"Merrall, Graeme"
Date:
> On Sun, 1 Feb 2004, Merrall, Graeme wrote:
>
> >
> > I don't think there's an easy way to do this but I thought
> I better ask just in case.  I'm trying to come up with a way
> to search across a number of databases without resorting to
> lots of horrible scripts. In one database I have a lot of
> news stories from our news provider while in another database
> I have a lot of user entered content. Ideally I'd like to
> search across both databases via a single web-based search form.
> >
> > The obvious way is to create a tsearch index/table in both
> databases and then to connect to each one in turn and to
> merge the results together but that doesn't seem like the
> best solution and potentially there could be issues with
> ranking and so on.
> >
> > Is it possible to create a single search database which can
> store search data from a number of different databases. This
> is all on the same server of course.
> >
> > Another option I looked at was to use an external search
> tool lke mnogosearch
> (http://www.mnogosearch.ru/doc/msearch-extended-indexing.html#
htdb) although since I've used tsearch elsewhere it would be nice to use
it here as well.
>
>
> Why not use schema and single search table contains indices from
> different schemes (use trigger to update search table)

Thanks for the reply Oleg. I looked at using schema snd I'm not entirely
sure whether I want to go the schema route at this stage although if
that's my only option I'm more than happy to consider it.  I'm giving it
some serious thought though.

Cheers,
 Graeme

Re: Search across multiple sources

From
Bernd Helmle
Date:
Merrall, Graeme wrote:
> I don't think there's an easy way to do this but I thought I better ask just in case.  I'm trying to come up with a
wayto search across a number of databases without resorting to lots of horrible scripts. In one database I have a lot
ofnews stories from our news provider while in another database I have a lot of user entered content. Ideally I'd like
tosearch across both databases via a single web-based search form. 
>
> The obvious way is to create a tsearch index/table in both databases and then to connect to each one in turn and to
mergethe results together but that doesn't seem like the best solution and potentially there could be issues with
rankingand so on. 
>
> Is it possible to create a single search database which can store search data from a number of different databases.
Thisis all on the same server of course.   
>
> Another option I looked at was to use an external search tool lke mnogosearch
(http://www.mnogosearch.ru/doc/msearch-extended-indexing.html#htdb)although since I've used tsearch elsewhere it would
benice to use it here as well. 
>
> Cheers,
>  Graeme
>
> ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 4: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster
>
>

I don't know if it works, just a thought:

You can examine, wether contrib/dblink works in conjunction with
tsearch[2]. If this is runnable, you can create a "search database" with
dblink'ed search queries/views over your data store.

   Bernd