How Search Has Improved in SharePoint 2010

In my last article we looked at a 'real world' scenario where SharePoint 2007 (MOSS) had been deployed for enterprise search in a pragmatic fashion using a phased approach. This time we will build on the theme of search and look at the new features that have been added to SharePoint 2010.

Search on its own is no panacea and SharePoint 2010 (news, site) offers upgraded features in other important and related domains including vast improvements in metadata management.

In this look at search I want to concentrate on three elements in particular:

1. The continued development of a 'family' of products
2. The new features added to the base product
3. The additional features brought by FAST Search Server for SharePoint 2010

Evolution of a Whole Family

Search in SharePoint remains a family affair, you can get in on the ground level for free with Search Server Express — with no document limits if you already own SQL Server licenses — for testing and proof of concept for enterprise search in your organization. You may then realize that simply putting a search engine over your diverse data stores in not the simple answer you thought it might be, and buy the full on SharePoint 2010 product to leverage document management and collaboration features.

Once you have the full SharePoint product, you may decide that you need the added features brought by paying for 'FAST Search Server for Sharepoint.'

I have attended a number of Microsoft briefings, both at the MS Canada HQ and on our own premises, one of which focused entirely on the differences between the core product and the FAST add on. I was given permission to share the content of those briefings.

Below is a simplified version of an MS slide showing the differences across the product family:

Improvements to Search in the core SharePoint 2010 product

Microsoft marketing focuses on 3 target audiences with the following messages:

• End Users with “Go beyond the search box” — improvements to the search experience, including user interfaces and ability to search from the desktop or mobile device, and a focus on people and social search.
• IT Professionals with “Eliminate compromise between managability and capability” — in other words here is a system with both best of breed search features, but also one that is easy to manage. Access both unstructured and structured content using Business Connectivity Services (BCS) and other federated search options.
• Developers with “Do more with search” — a call to action to use the available tool sets to extend the base platform and build search solutions for existing applications (e.g. ERP and CRM) but also go further and build search centric applications.

Microsoft says that they have listened to the user community and focused on solving pain points when upgrading the base SharePoint 2010 platform to improve search. This has resulted in the following enhancements:

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Tags: document management, enterprise 2.0, enterprise cms, fast, jed cawthorne, search, sharepoint, sharepoint 2010

In my last article we looked at a 'real world' scenario where SharePoint 2007 (MOSS) had been deployed for enterprise search in a pragmatic fashion using a phased approach. This time we will build on the theme of search and look at the new features that have been added to SharePoint 2010.