Overview | Example | SQL | Optimization | Customization | Tips

Synonym lists are an important tool for PowerSearch. Synonym lists allow your search terms to be automatically expanded to make your search more flexibility. The examples on the previous pages used many synonym lists, such as Given Names, Postal Abbreviations, City Names and Area Codes. Omnidex provides a base set of synonym lists as part of the product, but it is also possible to create your own synonym lists.

Synonym lists are using limited to a limited topic, such as Given Names, or City Abbreviations. It is important to watch for cross-over between synonyms. For example, it would be prudent to keep city, state and country abbreviations in separate lists. LA as a city code is an abbreviation for Los Angeles; however, as a state code, it is an abbreviation for Louisiana. In these situations, each column should use its own managed synonym list so that overlap does not occur.

Before creating your own synonym lists, be sure to check the synonym lists that are provided with Omnidex. The list you need may have already been created, or there may be a similar list that you can use as a starting point. If you do create your own synonym list, consider whether it would benefit the broader Omnidex community. If you would like to submit a synonym list for inclusion in the product, simply send it to Technical Support with a note saying that you are contributing it to the product.

Creating a new synonym list is straightforward. It is simply a tab-delimited file with four columns. It can be created using a text editor such as 'Notepad' on Windows or 'vi' on UNIX. It can also be created in a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel, which allows a file to be saved as a Tab-Delimited File.

The record layout of the synonym table consists of four columns:

The name of the list, repeated for each row in the list. This name will be referenced in the $CONTAINS clause using the syntax, 'SYNONYMS=list'.

The word or phrase for which synonyms are being created. Phrases should be enclosed in double quotes.

The replacement string to be used as a synonym list. Normally, this is a comma-delimited list of synonyms; however, it can also use values from the Omnidex Qualification Syntax.

Replacements may consist of any of the following choices. Replacements may also be intermingled, and occur in any order.

• A word or phrase to be used in replace of the current word. Note that for the synonyms to include the current word itself, it must be included in the replacement text. Words may be separated by commas. Phrases must be enclosed in double-quotation marks. For example:

• A string of qualification criteria, indicated by enclosing the entire replacement string in parentheses. These criteria may include Boolean operators and nested parentheses. For example:

• Pointers to other entries within the same list. Pointers are indicated by prefixing the word with a greater-than sign (>). Pointers are allowed to be nested. For example:

Prev | Next

See also: