SQL Full Text Search: IFilters or Indexing Filters used with SQL FTS...

SQL Full Text Search: IFilters or Indexing Filters used with SQL FTS...

"Indexing Filters, or more commonly shortened to IFilters, play an important role in Microsoft's Search technology starting with Indexing Server 1.0 on Windows NT 4.0 (see "Anatomy of a Search Solution") and have been enhanced and added to by not only Microsoft, but by many 3rd party independent developers and software vendors (ISV's). Many of the IFilters are free or relatively low cost and cover many file types formats or extensions. IFilters are an established and open standard that is documented on Microsoft's MSDN and code examples and utilities are available in Microsoft's Platform SDK (PSDK).

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Interestingly, other software vendors, such as Oracle Text also uses Stellent's Outside In Technology. Furthermore, the Google Mini Search Appliance supports searching in 220 file formats, which is approx. the same number of file formats supported by Yahoo's X1 for their desktop search. I am not surprised by this as I'm sure that many other search vendors are using the Outside In technology from Stellent.

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Stellent, how well I know you...

Anyway this post has more IFilter info, more links to IFilter providers, etc. And more info/link for the very cool, IFilter Explorer 1.0