What is Enterprise Search?

Most businesses today have data stored in many areas of the company. An enterprise search engine is a software application that provides the ability to search multiple data sets from a single application. This software is similar to the technology that is currently used on the Internet to search websites through Google®, Yahoo®, and Bing®.

Introducing an enterprise search engine in a company requires proper training and communication. This is designed to teach the employees how to properly use an advanced search tool. Most search engines return large amounts of data based on specific search criteria. Using this type of tool requires practice on what to expect with each type of search.

When a user searches a database, he must first enter specific search criteria. This criteria is used in the searching algorithm to find specific matching data. Enterprise searches require a user to identify the specific data being searched. This is passed to the searching tool, which federates this query against multiple data sets throughout the business.

Proper indexing is essential for a successful search engine application. The index is the key identifier of specific elements of data. An enterprise search engine uses these indexes to find relevant data from large volumes of files. This indexing algorithm is a sophisticated dictionary that helps the computer locate relevant information quickly.

Most modern enterprise search tools are extremely fast. These software programs can search billions of records in a few seconds. This is typically achieved by only returning subsets of data based on specific search parameters.

Sorting and prioritizing data is another aspect of an enterprise search tool. This software program includes some artificial intelligence that can help the user filter and categorize data into specific groups. Some examples could include searching by date, region, or product.

An enterprise search gives a busienss quick access to disparate information. It can increase productivity because it’s a one stop shop to the enterprise data of an organization. Creating an enterprise search engine requires proper planning and design. Search tools need access to external data sets before they can function properly. This typically requires enterprise access controls that enable data to be shared throughout an company.

There are many enterprise search tools available today. These are mostly commercial software products that require extensive integration into a company. Installing a search tool of this magnitude typically requires expertise in data warehousing and enterprise data management principles.