Retrieving Information

Information retrieval deals with searching for documents, for information within documents and for metadata about documents, as well as searching relational databases and the World Wide Web. This involves a huge overload if we go in a traditional way. The advanced information retrieving systems automate the extraction process and personalize per user - search engines are one of these systems.

Below explained is very basic and simple information retrieving mechanism for small scale systems.

File System here stores a wide variety of documents/files and in a large number. This file system is like a central data repository that gets added on with the information.

Indexer is process that operates on the file system and maintains the index and also synchronize the index with a database management system periodically.

The users access the central repository through a web interface. User requests for a file will be processed by operating on the DB which normally very capable of operating super fast on huge data (indexed info). After retrieving the relative indexes the user will be presented with search results. When the user selects a result, the request processor fetches the file and maintains a local copy and gives this dynamic file link to the user.

There is a Logical model that sits on the server and which observes what is going on.. This logical model is a process that keeps track of the type of user queries & the retrieved index results and corresponding local copies maintained as the most wanted result. There is tag cloud on the user interface that is controlled by this LM, which shows the file tags based on the above factors and provides the user a personalized result.