Keys to KM: Selecting a Search System

摘要

In my last column I discussed the importance of selecting a sin-gle enterprise search system as part of a corporate Knowledge Management (KM) program. Here I'll look at taxonomies, categorization, product creep, and XML as further differentiators. Most companies have several search solutions―for their intranet, email, and other systems―because search came bundled with each application. Search was "free," so there was little incentive to purchase a single unified search solution. As the number of information repositories grows, however, searching becomes increasingly difficult. With bundled search systems, you can't query several repositories at once, and users must learn the ins and outs of searching each repository. Solving these problems requires selecting a single enterprise search system, with one decision criterion the search system's basic technology and its inevitable tradeoffs, flowing from the vendor's basic design decisions. Examples include ease of use with self-refining searches (typically statistically-based systems) versus precision and control in searches (typically a keyword and thesaurus-based system). Technology is only the first consideration though. Complicating the search selection process, KM specialists often drive the selection of an enterprise search solution, but also sponsor taxonomy projects. Taxonomies are useful for developing portal and intranet navigation, folder views for CMS, and keywords in search systems. Well-designed taxonomies can provide consistency and familiarity across enterprise applications.