Retrieval device, method for controlling retrieval device, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9767108-B2
Application number	US-201214413868-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2012
Priority date	Jul 13, 2012
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A search device receives a search request, extracts at least one of an alias or a metadata name from the search request, converts the alias to metadata name by referring to metadata schema management information for managing in an inclusive manner a namespace alias and a metadata name for the retrieval device to identify a metadata schema definition defining the structure of a retrieval-target file that includes metadata, and specifies a field name from the metadata name by referring to schema mapping management information for managing the corresponding relationship between a metadata name of metadata schema definition information and a field name of the retrieval index schema definition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A search apparatus of searching data, the search apparatus comprising:
a processor;
a memory;
metadata schema management information for managing metadata schema definitions each defining a structure of files to be searched, the files including metadata;
search index schema management information for managing search index schema definitions each defining a structure of search index data;
schema mapping management information for managing correspondence relations between the metadata schema management information and the search index schema definitions; and
a search controller configured to receive a search request and to extract files matching the search request using the schema mapping management information and the search index schema management information,
wherein the metadata schema management information includes aliases of namespaces for identifying the metadata schema definitions and metadata names,
wherein each of the search index schema definitions includes field names of the files to be searched,
wherein the schema mapping management information includes correspondence relations of the metadata names and the field names,
wherein the search controller is configured to:
extract at least either an alias or one or more metadata names from the search request;
convert the alias to metadata names using the metadata schema management information including the aliases of namespaces that are uniquely identifiable to the search controller; and
identify field names from the metadata names using the schema mapping management information.

2. The search apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
search index management information for holding correspondence relations between the field names defined in the search index schema definitions and the files,
wherein the search controller is configured to:
extract at least either an alias or one or more metadata names from the search request;
identify metadata names from the alias using the metadata schema management information;
identify field names from the metadata names using the schema mapping management information; and
identify files matching the identified field names using the search index management information.

3. The search apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the search controller is configured to:
receive information identifying whether the search index management information is to be created for each of the field names in registering a search index schema definition; and
register the field name to the search index management information in a case where the information identifies that the search index management information is to be created.

4. The search apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the metadata schema management information stores the aliases of namespaces.

5. The search apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the search index schema management information includes update time information storing a time when one of the operations of update, creation, and deletion is executed for each of the search index schema definitions, and
wherein the search controller is configured to:
identify field names for which values of the update time information satisfy a predetermined condition;
determine files associated with the identified field names to be files in need of updating from the search index management information; and
execute difference indexing to update the values of the search index management information for the determined files in need of updating.

6. The search apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the search controller is configured to:
determine files in need of updating the values of the search index management information to be files in need of updating by crawling; and
update the values of the search index management information for the determined files in need of updating.

7. The search apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the search apparatus is coupled with a file server storing the files to be searched,
wherein the file server is configured to:
store operation records on the files to be searched; and
determine files on which the operation records match a predetermined condition to be files in need of updating, and
wherein the search controller is configured to update the values of the search index management information for the determined files in need of updating.

8. The search apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the search controller is configured to:
update the values of the search index management information for all the files in need of updating after updating a search index schema definition; and
incorporate information on the files associated with the updated search index schema definition to the search index management information.

9. The search apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the search controller is configured to:
extract and index all metadata names of the files in need of updating after updating a search index schema definition;
search for files including a metadata name of a character string identical to the metadata name associated with a field name in the search index schema definition;
determine the files hit by the search to be the files in need of updating and update the values of the search index management information on the determined files; and
incorporate information on the files associated with the updated search index schema definition to the search index management information.

10. The search apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising metadata name management information storing information on files including metadata names associated with the field names in the search index schema management information,
wherein the search controller is configured to:
search the metadata name management information for files including a character string identical to the metadata name associated with a field name in a search index schema definition after updating the search index schema definition;
determine the files hit by the search to be the files in need of updating and update the values of the search index management information on the determined files; and
incorporate information on the files associated with the updated search index schema definition to the search index management information.

11. The search apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the search apparatus is coupled with a file server storing the files to be searched,
wherein the file server includes metadata name management information storing information on files including metadata names associated with the field names in the search index schema management information, and
wherein the search controller is configured to:
search the metadata name management information in the file server for files including a character string identical to the metadata name associated with a field name in a search index schema definition after updating the search index schema definition;
determine the files hit by the search to be the files in need of updating and update the values of the search index management information on the determined files; and
incorporate information on the files associated with the updated search index schema definition to the search index management information.

12. The search apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the search apparatus is coupled with a metadata management server,
wherein the metadata management server includes metadata name management information storing information on files including metadata names associated with the field names in the search index schema management information, and
wherein the search controller is configured to:
search

Assignees

• Ishii Yohsuke
• Kodama Shoji
• Hitachi Solutions Ltd

Inventors

• Ishii Yohsuke
• Kodama Shoji

Classifications

• G06F16/148 Primary

  File search processing · CPC title

• G06F16/2272

  Management thereof · CPC title

• G06F16/211

  Schema design and management · CPC title

• G06F16/183

  Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS (network file access protocols H04L67/1097) · CPC title

• G06F16/13

  File access structures, e.g. distributed indices (arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06) · CPC title