Unlocking the Power of Search in Teamstudio Export

Search functionality is a cornerstone of modern data management. Whether you're navigating through archives or exporting specific datasets, the ability to locate information quickly and efficiently is vital. Teamstudio Export offers versatile search capabilities tailored primarily to two different use cases: searching within Notes application HTML/PDF archives and leveraging Lucene for advanced data selection prior to export. In this article, we will explore both methods, their features, limitations, and how they can be applied to meet your business needs.

Searching in HTML/PDF Archives

Teamstudio Export allows you to generate self-contained static archives in HTML or PDF formats of your HCL Notes/Domino databases. These archives are designed for portability, enabling you to host them on various platforms without requiring a database-driven backend. While this portability is a significant advantage, it also imposes certain limitations on the robustness of the search functionality. Let’s take a look at how search works in these archives.

Full-Text Search Capabilities

Any databases exported to HTML or PDF using Teamstudio Export include full-text search functionality. Users can search within a specific view by selecting it and clicking the magnifying glass icon to reveal the search box. When you enter a search term and press Enter, the search engine identifies all documents in the view that match the term. Results are ranked by the strength of the match, which is determined by:

  • The frequency of the term in the document.

  • The rarity of the term in the database (less common terms rank higher).

Search terms found both within the view and on the data note will be included within the search hits.

The search index includes all words with two or more characters found in text or rich text fields. However, keep in mind that searches will only match terms at the beginning of words. For example:

  • Searching for “at” will match “attach” but not “cat”.

Recent versions of Export also index numbers, allowing searches for sequences like order numbers (e.g., “345678”). However, searches for dates (e.g., “03/04/1999”) will match any document containing tokens that start with 03, 04, or 1999, regardless of their proximity or formatting.

Limitations of HTML/PDF Archive Search

While the full-text search capabilities are robust for static archives, there are some limitations:

  • Boolean Operators: Operators like “AND”, “OR”, and “NOT” are not supported.

  • Word Boundaries: Non-alphanumeric characters (e.g., hyphens) are treated as separators. For instance, searching for “EX-2856” will treat it as two separate terms (“EX” and “2856”), returning documents containing both terms, even if they are not adjacent.

  • Attachments: The search index does not include text within attachments.

These limitations stem from the fact that HTML/PDF archives are standalone JavaScript applications running in a browser environment, without a database backend. This design prioritizes portability and compatibility across hosting platforms, making it ideal for static, lightweight deployments.

Advanced Search and Export with Lucene

For more complex search and export needs, Teamstudio Export provides a Lucene.NET-powered search capability as part of its data export feature. This method, used in the Export application for selecting data to export, offers significantly more flexibility and power compared to the HTML/PDF archive search.

How Lucene Search Works

When exporting HCL Notes/Domino data, you can target documents in one of three ways:

  1. By selection formula.

  2. By Notes view.

  3. By search expression (using Lucene).

The Lucene-based search feature allows you to export all documents that match a full-text search expression. It supports advanced features such as:

  • Quoted Expressions: Search for exact phrases by enclosing them in quotes (e.g., "customer feedback").

  • Required Terms: Use +term to specify terms that must be present.

  • Excluded Terms: Use -term to exclude documents containing specific terms.

  • Field Targeting: Search for text within specific fields.

All content in text, text lists, and rich text fields is indexed, offering a comprehensive search experience.

Use Cases for Lucene Search

Lucene’s advanced capabilities make it an invaluable tool for a variety of business scenarios. Here are some examples:

1. Customer Database Management

  • Exporting High-Value Customers: Use Lucene to search for customers tagged as "VIP" or "High Priority" in their records (e.g., +VIP or "high priority").

2. Customer Service

  • Customer Feedback Analysis: Identify feedback containing specific phrases like "needs improvement" or "unsatisfied" for further review (e.g., "needs improvement").

3. Compliance and Auditing

  • Sensitive Data Identification: Export records containing sensitive keywords like "confidential" or "restricted" for review (e.g., +confidential or +restricted).

4. Legal and Contract Management

  • Specific Clauses: Export contracts containing specific legal clauses or terms (e.g., "force majeure" or "non-compete").

These use cases highlight the flexibility of Lucene search in meeting diverse business needs, from customer management to legal compliance.

Example: Searching for Technical Support Data

To illustrate Lucene’s power, consider a technical support database where you want to export all records related to two specific products Enerjy Code Analyzer and Enerjy Memory Profiler, that have been closed. You can use the following search expression:

"Enerjy Code Analyzer" OR "Enerjy Memory Profiler" AND status:closed

This query will:

  • Match records containing either "Enerjy Code Analyzer" or "Enerjy Memory Profiler".

  • Ensure that the records also include the term "Closed" within the “status” field.

This search allows you to extract relevant support tickets for analysis or reporting.

Create robust search expressions to target data notes to be included within your export dataset.

Building the Search Index

To use Lucene search, you first need to create a search index:

1. Click the Create Search Index button in the Data Export dialog.

2. The indexing process runs in the background. For moderate-sized databases, this takes only a few seconds, but larger databases may require more time.

3. The index is stored locally (e.g., in the “AppData\Local\Teamstudio” folder).

Once the index is built, the search field becomes available, allowing you to enter and refine your search expression.

Configuring the Export Job

After selecting the data using a Lucene search expression, you can configure the rest of the export job:

  • Define the dataset columns: Use the ‘Add’ button to choose what fields you would like to include from your Notes application within the dataset.

  • Choose the output format: Select if you would like to export to CSV, SharePoint, etc.

  • Complete the export process: Export will begin to process your data export job once you click ok. But don’t forget to preview your export job!

Use the ‘Preview’ button to see an example of what your data export job will include.

Summary

In summary, Teamstudio Export provides two distinct search methods tailored to different needs:

1. HTML/PDF Archive Search: A lightweight, browser-based solution for navigating static archives, with limitations due to its self-contained design.

2. Lucene Search for Data Export: A powerful, flexible tool for advanced search and export scenarios, leveraging the capabilities of the Lucene.NET library.

Whether you’re searching through archives or exporting targeted datasets, Teamstudio Export equips you with the tools to find and manage your data effectively. By understanding the strengths and limitations of each search method, you can choose the best approach for your specific Export project.