© F. Dell'Orso, Bibliography Formatting Software: An Evaluation Template
Last update: May, 6, 2004


 4.7. Searching

The overstriked grid's items have not been taken into account for the purposes of this shorter evaluation: it does not imply at all that the package cannot perform the relevant function.
The numbering and the content are the same as the full version of the evaluation grid.

Search

1 Different levels and approaches: 
   1. easy / expert
   2. menu/command driven
   3. browsing term lists/indexes directly pointing to records
   4. query expressions
   5. browsing record list(s)

Biblioscape Bookends
1. easy and expert; 2; 3; 4; 5.
Many different approaches for Bibliographic Database (i.e. References Module)
Notes and Tasks Modules have got their own search methods (see below).
Browsing the database in the brief record list: one record per line, as many field-columns as desired (7 by default, can add more); sort on top of column bar, descending sort only if secondary index available: can customize)
Lookup search on 56 fields: select a field, entries (sortable) in term list show number of related documents (sortable) and point to them;
Dynamic blue folder: one or more SQL (13 operators) query statements are permanently stored in a folder to form one SQL query: each statement is single field based; statements ar connected via boolean and, or, but it follows its own criteria: you write something like (A or B) and (C or D), it changes in A or B or (C and D) ...
Quick search saved queries: field and the seeked value (no boolean operators)
Indexed search it includes 3 submodules (+ 2 sub-sub), none can be saved as query expression: Fast (no boolean, no field selection); Smart pseudo-natural language queries or SQL (abbreviated or full), up to this extent: select bib.*, folder.*, fld_bib.* from bib, folder, fld_bib where (folder.Folder<>'Boronic Acid') and (fld_bib.Folder_ID=Folder.Folder_ID) and (bib.Ref_ID=fld_bib.Ref_ID). Here you can use the full power of SQL; Indexed: can use jolly characters (? *), boolean, soundex, near, parentheses: (A or B) and (C or D) it is possible here, but cannot save query expressions and the function is not assisted;
Advanced SQL query builder, statements are connected only by boolean AND, can be saved 
BiblioSQL: SQL queries tool, not driven: must be familiar with SQL; queries can be saved;
Find: sequential search on any or one selected field
Navigation through links established by users among bib. references, and references and Notes; also an automatic ring navigation through authors, keywords, journal titles: e.g. click on an author name and it will show all record in the database containing the same name
Searching a Biblioscape database on the Internet via www interface see Internet and Other features  


Notes Module:
Navigating through the Notes folders tree
Fast search
: enter a string, full-text searching: can use jolly characters (? *), boolean, soundex, near, phrases, parentheses: searching for (A or B) and (C or D) is possible here, but cannot save query expressions; nor can search notes and bib. records at the same time
Advanced search: field based (truncation available)

Tasks Module:
Search: field based (truncation available)

Bookends: 1 easy + expert,

a) by means of one preformatted window with templates for : only one field selection plus record type, scope (database, retrieved records), mode (any text, whole words, right truncation); boolean operators; up to 10 query terms;
No query expressions, no crossing of different fields: something like: "keywords = water pollution AND date = 1999" it is not possible, either you specify one field (+ RT) which will apply to all -up to 10- query terms or you do not restrict the search to a single field but do a search on all/any fields up to 10 query terms
b) browsing is possible either by selecting 'Show all references' or by using the 4 term lists: each of them will display the brief list of records connected to any entry of the selected list

3, 5;
2, 4 
: SQL/Regex (regular expressions) structured (on unindexed fields + indexed "any-field")

2 Browsing indexes to search
    1. entries show number of related docs
    2. relationships (e.g. x-refs) between entries are displayed
    3. direct selection of index terms and display of related documents

Biblioscape: 1 (can sort A/D on lookup list entry or count number of related documents); 3
2 relationship between records are indicated by an icon in the preview pane of the brief record list display
Bookends: 1 3;
the 4 built-in indexes/term lists and any other field based term list can be browsed to display the connected records in two situations: a) "Utilities" --> Term lists; b) when --> a full reference is displayed, --> the relevant term list button is pressed --> the brief view of records connected to that entry is activated; in both cases can swiftly switch list

3 Query expressions

Biblioscape: yes, see above 1 Different levels and approaches for details Bookends: not in easy module, yes SQL/Regex

4 Natural language queries

Biblioscape: yes in Smart Search see above 1 for details Bookends: no

5 Search strategy
   1. can save and recall search expressions
   2. can recall previous queries within the same session
   3. can recall and combine previous search steps

Biblioscape: yes limited to: Dynamic blue folder, Quick Search, Advanced search (see above 1 Approaches for details) Bookends: 1 yes

6 Can save and recall search result

7 Shows hits of each search expression component

Biblioscape: no Bookends: no

8 Can print directly one or more records while in search/browse mode

9 Refine (search within search result)

Biblioscape: no Bookends: yes

10 Advanced search features
    1. best match, weighted terms, ranking
    2. fuzzy, sounds like 
    3. hypertext-like

Biblioscape: 2 (soundex), 3 Bookends: no

11 Input allowed while indexing

12 Instant display of retrieved records
    1. short record list
    2. one record at the time

13 Highlighting search terms in result ( and jump to next occurrence of term)

Biblioscape: no Bookends: highlight and jump both when searching within the result hit list or in the same reference

14 Indexing operation
    1. automatic, real time
    2. batch

Biblioscape: 1 but can reindex and update indexes and lookup lists Bookends: 1 automatic

15 Indexing techniques
    1. any character string
    2. word by word
    3. phrase (adjacent words)
    4. marked portions of fields

16 Scope of searching
    1. one or more distinct fields
    2. cluster of fields
    3. full text = any field
    4. same occurrence

Biblioscape: 1 2 3 4 (near operator, see above 1 Approaches) Bookends: 1 just one field + RT; 3;

17 Case sensitiveness

Biblioscape: yes where SQL is acting Bookends: yes in SQL/Regex

18 Diacritics

Biblioscape: yes, "liberte" will not retrieve "libertŽ", must search using diacritics Bookends: "libertŽ" will retrieve only "libertŽ"; "liberte" will retrieve both "liberte" and "libertŽ"

19 Can use and nest parentheses

Biblioscape: yes only in Indexed and SQL search (see above 1 Approaches) Bookends: n.a.: it can't nest in the easy module, yes in SQL/Regex

20 Priority within search operators and queries

Biblioscape: set by parenthese in Indexed and SQL search, "random" elsewhere (see above 1 Approaches) Bookends: top most has got the priority; SQL/Regex use of parentheses

21 Boolean operators
    1. AND
    2. OR
    3. NOT (unary)
    4. AND NOT (binary)
    5. XOR

Biblioscape: 1 2 4 (see above 1 Approaches) Bookends: 1 2 3 (just skip the first window and select NOT) 4 + SQL/Regex

22 Relational operators
   1. contains   
   2. different <>
   3. less than     <
   4. less or equal    <=
   5. greater than     >
   6. greater or equal     >=
   7. range   
   8. equal

Biblioscape: where SQL syntax is included (see above 1 Approaches) Bookends: yes in SQL/Regex

23 Can combine boolean and relational operators

Biblioscape: where SQL syntax is included (see above 1 Approaches) Bookends: yes in SQL/Regex

24 Truncated search (with/without wildcard, e.g. ? *)
    1. explicit or implicit
    2. right
    3. left
    4. r/l

Biblioscape: 1 explicit, 2 3 4, in Indexed search and wherever SQL syntax is included (see above 1 Approaches) Bookends: 1 implicit 2 3 and 4 if the 'characters' option is selected + all options in SQL/Regex

25 Can search by position: b/e field and/or occurrence

26 Search for not/empty fields

Biblioscape: where SQL syntax is included (see above 1 Approaches) Bookends: yes (empty: enter nothing, not empty: enter * asterisk)

27 Internal wildcards ("masking" e.g. ? * : m*ss, for miss mass mess mistress ...)

Biblioscape: in Indexed search and wherever SQL syntax is included (see above 1 Approaches) Bookends: yes in SQL/Regex (Regex \B)

28 Can combine boolean, relational, parentheses, truncation etc.

Biblioscape: in Indexed search and wherever SQL syntax is included (see above 1 Approaches) Bookends: yes in SQL/Regex

29 Adjacency and proximity operators

30 Search only within the same occurrence of a repeatable field

31 Search only within the same paragraph

32 Stopwords

33  Z39.50 Searching

Biblioscape: no Bookends: no



Table of contents Bibliography Index

© F. Dell'Orso, Bibliography Formatting Software: An Evaluation Template
Last update: May, 6, 2004
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