Range
Building
At inquiry time the application program accepts a name that is passed
to NameSearch? . NameSearch? returns a set of, from and to, values.
These values will be used by the application to retrieve records that
lay between them. Each successive range gets bigger and includes the
previous set.
The application program will nominate a range and retrieve those records,
whose keys fall between it. The nomination of a range is dependent
on performance requirements, precision or accuracy of search, and the
number of records stored in the database. The average number of names
returned increases linearly as the size of the database grows. A database
that contains 100,000 records would return one candidate if .001 percent
of the database were returned. In cases with light volume, it is affordable
to process larger sets. With larger databases, processing broad sets
become prohibitive as a result of performance considerations.
Following the return of the initial candidate list the ability to
broaden a search is sometimes required. This can be achieved by simply
cascading through the remaining search ranges. This approach works
well when the user wants to revisit entries that were already displayed.
In instances where you do not want the previous records displayed the
application program must process only those records that lay between
the two ranges.
Example:
The method for selecting search ranges is dependent on the people
using the system and the degree of flexibility required to satisfy
your search requirements. The technique for presenting information
fluctuates with the caliber of personnel using the system. Criminal
investigative professionals need a more flexible application where
data entry personnel typically require a more automated system.
The NameSearch product can also produce alternate search ranges. The
alternate search ranges can be used to find records that may lie in
other areas of the database. The alternate search ranges can be employed
by application where the need to ensure the nonexistence of a record
overrides performance considerations. Using the alternate search ranges
is excessive for most applications using NameSearch.
Technical Product Information
