This document discusses search-based applications (SBAs) and how they differ from traditional database-driven applications. SBAs are built on a search engine backbone rather than a database, and are designed for mission-oriented information access, analysis, or discovery. The document outlines some key challenges of SBAs, including unifying multiple search interfaces and data silos. It also discusses components of SBAs like content sources, crawling, indexing, processing crawled properties into managed properties, ranking, search interfaces, and federation. SBAs are well-suited for aggregating heterogeneous content, processing large volumes of data, providing real-time information, and enabling ad hoc reporting.

1. SPTH05 Beyond the Search
Center – Application or
Solution?
Agnes Molnar
Senior Search Solutions Consultant
SharePoint Server MVP
Level: Intermediate

2. Introduction
• Senior Search Solutions Consultant
• SharePoint Server MVP
• Speaker, Blogger, Community Lead
http://aghy.hu
http://www.DoMoreWithSearch.com
Email: aghy@aghy.hu
Twitter: @molnaragnes

4. Search
Search connects people
to the information
they need to get their jobs done.

6. Search Components
Source: http://searchpatterns.org

7. Search
• „I know what I’m searching for and
know how to do that”
• „I know what I’m searching for but I
don’t know how to do that”
• „I don’t know what I’m searching for”
• „Am I Searching?...”

8. Enterprise Search
Search Technology
that your organization
owns and controls

10. Traditional System Integration
Sales & Marketing Supply Chain Engineering/R&D Legal/Compliance
I need all information we Where can I see all my Where do I have to look Do we know our liability
have about my customer? suppliers data in one place? for research projects? on this matter?
Custom Integration Middleware SOA
Cost: $ $ $ $ Cost: $ $ $ $ $ Cost: $ $ $ $ $
Time Frame: Time Frame: Time Frame:
Challenge: Brittle code Challenge: $1,000,000 + costs with limited content sources Challenge: Massive re-engineer
Silos
Data
Unstructured
Email ECM, Search, Structured Data Public Cloud/
CRM ERP Data
& Messaging Collaboration (file shares) (databases) Web Sites Office 365
10

11. Search Based Application (SBA)
• Software Application
• Built on a Search Engine backbone rather
than a database infrastructure
• Mission-oriented information access,
analysis or discovery

12. Search Driven Architecture

15. 15

16. SBA Examples

18. Challenges
User Multiple search interfaces,
systems, and logons; no
Experience unified search results
Challenges
Files and email on
Data and desktops; structured and
Expertise unstructured data silos;
untapped expertise
Challenges
Relevance and ranking;
Enterprise security, privacy &
and IT compliance; scalability,
manageability & extensibility
Challenges

20. Customizations for Search Driven
Applications
Building on an extensible platform
Configure Extend Create
User Context Relevance Profiles Custom Elements
LOB Connectivity UI & Web Parts Work Environments
Content Processing Result Rollup New Innovations
Business language Visual Elements ….
Federation Sources Workflows
UI Look & Feel Analytics
….. …..

21. Content Sources

22. Content Sources in SBAs
• Combine (join) data
• Connect data
– Existing relationships in the source system
– Newly discovered, cross-system relationships
• Aggregate data
• Visualize data

23. Data Collection / Crawling
• Crawler:
– Connects to the Content Source
– Enumerates the content
– Reads the content items
– Extracts the metadata
– Sends the collected info back to the Indexer

24. Data Collection / Crawling
• Connector: Enables to access different
types of content
• OOTB:
– SharePoint
– File Share
– Web site
– Business Data
– Exchange Public Folders
– Custom Connectors
– (Lotus Notes)
– (Documentum)

25. Processing: Crawled and Managed
Properties
• Crawled property: metadata extracted
from the documents/items during the
crawl.
• Managed property: can appear in refined
searches and helps users perform more
successful queries

26. Processing: Crawled and Managed
Properties

27. Processing: Ranking
• Ranking: produce results that are ordered
according to some computed relevancy
score
• Dynamic: Based on weighted managed properties
(title, body, social tags, etc.)
• Static:
–File Type
–Click through relevancy
–Depth

28. User Interface
• OOTB UI elements
– Refinement Panel
– Core Results Web Part
– etc.
• Federation
• People Search
• Scopes
• Custom Web Parts
– Visual Navigation
– Mashups
– Etc.
• Workflows – Act on Items Immediately

29. Search Federation
• Using remote index for queries
• Location type:
– SharePoint Search index
– FAST index
– OpenSearch 1.0/1.1

30. Search Federation

31. Summary
• Search Based Applications?
– Need to Aggregate Heterogeneous Content
– Neet to Process Large Volume of Data
– Need for Real Time Information
– Need for Ad Hoc Reporting

32. Want to Know More About SharePoint 2013
Search?
The Essential Guide
to Enterprise Search
in SharePoint 2013
Everything You Need to Know to
Get the Most Out of Search and
Search-based Applications
Download from
www.SharePointSearch2013.com
This book contains 20 chapters, and more than 100 pages packed full of valuable
insights. Also includes helpful call outs and screenshots.
Architecture
Applications
Working Working ,
User &
with Queries with Deployment
Experience Developme
and Results Content &
nt
Operations

33. Questions?
Email: Agnes.Molnar@BAInsight.com
Twitter: @molnaragnes
Blog: http://aghy.hu
http://DoMoreWithSearch.com