Professional SharePoint 2010 Development, Second Edition

6

Search

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Using the Enterprise Search product line
• Understanding architecture and user experience features
• Customizing search, from user experience and social search to federation, connectors, and content processing
• Recognizing common patterns for developing search extensions and search-based applications
• Exploring examples you can use to get started on custom search projects

Search is now everywhere, and most people use it numerous times a day to keep from drowning in information. Enterprise search provides a powerful way to access information of all types, and it lets you bridge across the information silos that proliferate in many organizations. Perhaps because of the simplicity and ubiquity of the search user experience, the complexity of search under the hood is rarely appreciated until you get into it. Developing with search and SharePoint 2010 is rewarding and not difficult, although it requires an understanding of search and sometimes a different mindset.

Microsoft has been in the Enterprise Search business for a long time. Over the last three years focus in this area has increased, including the introduction of Search Server 2008 and the acquisition of FAST Search and Transfer. Search is becoming a strategic advantage in many businesses, and Microsoft's investments reflect this.

Enterprise Search delivers content for the benefit of the employees, customers, partners, or affiliates of a single company or organization. Companies, government agencies, ...