Re: Free-text search and SPARQL New Features and Rationale draft

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the feedback.

The Working Group did seriously & carefully consider free-text search as 
a feature for this iteration of standards, but in the end decided 
against it. You can see some of the discussion surrounding it in a few 
places:

* proposal to work on full-text search: 
http://www.w3.org/2009/sparql/wiki/Feature:FullText

* discussion on 4-21 teleconference showed decent support 
http://www.w3.org/2009/sparql/meeting/2009-04-21#FullText

* discussion at the first F2F 
http://www.w3.org/2009/sparql/meeting/2009-05-06#Full__2d_text_search

The end result is that while many in the group agree with you (myself 
included), there was enough concern about the challenge of specifying it 
and the cost of implementing it and the relative priority with the 
things the group did adopt that it ended up falling (just) short of the 
mark.

best,
Lee

Chris Bizer wrote:
> Dear all,
> 
>  
> 
> I really like the SPARQL New Features draft as it outlines many very 
> useful and down to earth features that were missing in the first version 
> of the language.
> 
>  
> 
> One question about
> 
> http://www.w3.org/TR/2009/WD-sparql-features-20090702/#Commonly_used_functions
> 
>  
> 
> How are the chances that one of these functions will be free-text search?
> 
>  
> 
> Most web-applications today use some kind of free-text search; most 
> facet browsers as well as most (all?) Semantic Web search engines use 
> free-text search to enable the user to specify starting points for 
> further navigation.
> 
>  
> 
> Many SPARQL stores already implement free-text indexing.
> 
>  
> 
> Today, people have to use dirty hacks like FILTER regex(?label, 
> "%word1%") to emulate free text search.
> 
>  
> 
> I therefore think that it would be great if you would foster the 
> interoperability between SPARQL stores by  including free-text search 
> into the spec.
> 
>  
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
>  
> 
> Chris
> 
>  
>

Received on Friday, 3 July 2009 15:23:33 UTC