Re: ORACLE* Text Retrieval

In article <2q2kt2$7ps_at_worak.kaist.ac.kr>

           jungkc_at_dbserver.etri.re.kr "Jung Kwang Chul" asks for information

about the ORACLE* Text Retrieval system and its applications.
          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In particular:

1. How well integrated is the text retrieval system with the relational database management system?
2. At a demonstration I saw a year or two ago, it was necessary to exit the database system and invoke the text retrieval system as a separate function in order to use it. This is very cumbersome; has it been improved?
3. Is there a limit to the number of fields on which text retrieval can be used, or can it be used on any fields in the database?
4. Is it possible to combine structured and text fields (if they have to be thought of as distinct) in one search statement, i.e. can you ask something like:

      Select from persons where name is "Mandela*" and date from 
      1994/05/01 to 1994/05/31 and biography contains "Africa" and
      "National Party" or "ANC".

   assuming that 'name' and 'date' are relational database fields and    'biography' is a text field.

5. Are full text-editing facilities provided in input and update screens,

   allowing both text and structured fields to be edited with cut and    paste, insertion and deletion of words and characters, word wrap and    scrolling within boxes? If it is necessary to switch to a separate    word-processing package to perform these functions, how transparent is    this to the user, or are they conscious of having to switch between    Oracle and word processor?

6. What would be nice would be to be able to get away from the fixedlength

    field restriction which Oracle, and most other relational    systems, seem to require. That is, I would like to see a system    which had the relational features of tables, joins and so on, but    which did not impose artificial lengths on data, causing restrictions    on input if they are chosen too short and waste of storage if they    are chosen too long. How far does Oracle text retrieval go towards    providing this?

Any other points or views on Oracle text-retrieval would be of great interest. You can either post them to this group, or if you prefer to email me privately I shall summarise for the group.

Thanks

Leonard Will

-- 
Dr Leonard D Will                           Tel: +44 81 366 7386    
Information Management Consultant           Fax: +44 81 366 0916
27 Calshot Way, ENFIELD, Middlesex          Email: LWill_at_willpowr.demon.co.uk
EN2 7BQ, United Kingdom