Full Text Search
Full-text search is a specialised search technique that allows users to search for text within large amounts of textual data and retrieve relevant documents or records that contain the queried words or phrases.
Full-text search enables users to find relevant information even if the search terms are not an exact match.
While traditional databases can handle some text-based searching using techniques like wildcard or pattern matching, they are not optimised for efficient full-text search across extensive text data.
Understanding full-text search using a example
Imagine a library database with a collection of book records. Each record includes details such as the book's title, author, genre, and a brief description. Here's a simplified representation:
{
"books": [
{
"title": "The Catcher in the Rye",
"author": "J.D. Salinger",
"genre": "Fiction",
"description": "A classic novel about teenage angst."
},
{
"title": "To Kill a Mockingbird",
"author": "Harper Lee",
"genre": "Fiction",
"description": "A poignant tale of racial injustice in the American South."
},
{
"title": "The Great Gatsby",
"author": "F. Scott Fitzgerald",
"genre": "Fiction",
"description": "A vivid portrayal of the American Dream in the 1920s."
}
]
}
Performing Full-Text Search
Now, let's say we want to find all books that discuss the theme of "American Dream." A traditional search might struggle with this task.
However, with full-text search capabilities we will receive result as :
Search Query: "American Dream"
{
"results": [
{
"title": "The Great Gatsby",
"author": "F. Scott Fitzgerald",
"genre": "Fiction",
"description": "A vivid portrayal of the American Dream in the 1920s."
}
]
}
Understand full-text search in detail
Last updated