dtSearch Expands
April 14, 2010
dtSearch, the ultra interesting search vendor in Maryland, was the subject of “dtSearch Expands File Parsers and Converters; Content Extraction Only Licenses Available.” dtSearch triggers memories of small blue and white advertisements in trade publications. The angle is that dtSearch can search lots of text quickly and the system is low cost in comparison to some other vendors of search systems. I have tested the system, and it works.
Source: http://www.dtsearch.com
I find some of the interface conventions inappropriate to my style of working but you will have to give the system a test drive and make up your own mind. The article—a news release type write up—points out that dtSearch is getting into the file conversion business. The leaders in this sector offer solutions that some find too expensive. dtSearch may follow its proven marketing approach and put some pressure on the industry leaders like Oracle-Stellent. The write up says:
The file parsers and converters now cover Adobe Framemaker MIF, XFA form templates, and Visio XML, in addition to existing supported file types like HTML, PDF, XSL/XML, ZIP, OpenOffice and MS Office files (through current released versions). The parsers also support popular email formats, along with the full text of attachments. For a complete list of supported file types, see http://support.dtsearch.com/faq/dts0103.htm.
The story also describes a “content extraction” license. The explanation in the write up is:
The dtSearch Engine embeds the file parsers for hit-highlighted WYSIWYG display of web-ready files and HTML conversion (with hit-highlighted display) of other file types. Content extraction only licenses are also available.
We will have to test this system to understand exactly what is permitted. No pricing information was available in the story. My notes about dtSearch show that fees begin in the hundreds of dollars and rise from there. Compared to other Microsoft-centric search systems, dtSearch is definitely a lower cost option.
You can see the dtSearch system in action if you have access to Mimosa. That company, according to my notes, uses dtSearch in its content processing system. As you may know, Iron Mountain acquired Mimosa. It will be interesting to see how the acquisition affects the trajectory of dtSearch in certain indexing situations.
My Overflight system generates a number of links to Softpedia for a “free” download of the dtSearch system. The page here describes dtSearch 7.65.7887 in this way:
The dtSearch is a complex product and includes dtSearch Desktop, Spider, Network, Web, Publish and Text Retrieval Engine. dtSearch products instantly search gigabytes of text across a desktop, network or Internet/Intranet. Products can also publish large document collections to Web sites or to CD/DVD. dtSearch is … the Smart Choice for Text Retrieval since 1991.
The features of the system, according to http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/Text-Retrieval-Engine.shtmlSoftpedia, include:
- Provides over two dozen indexed and unindexed text search options for all popular file types.
- Supports full-text as well as field searching in all supported file types.
- Has multiple relevancy-ranking and other search sorting options.
- The dtSearch product line displays retrieved files in a browser with highlighted hits and convenient hit and file navigation options ??” next hit, previous hit, next document, etc.
- For HTML and PDF, the products highlight hits while keeping embedded formatting, links and intact.
- For all other supported file types (“Office,” XML, ZIP, etc.), the product line has built-in HTML file converters for displaying these files in a browser with highlighted hits
- dtSearch Engine supports SQL, C++, Java, VB.NET, C#, Delphi, ASP.NET
My reaction to Softpedia’s write up is that it is promising a great deal. Considering the converters have just been expanded, I think that the use of “all” is quite interesting and a categorical affirmative. The technology of dtSearch seems to date from 1991. That makes it one of the more chronologically mature systems available today. Search has changed significantly in the last 19 years and the absence of nods to social content, semantic technology, and business intelligence type functions distinguishes dtSearch from some of the other competitors in this market sector. Finally, the software offered by Softpedia carries a $999 price tag, which seems to fit between open source search at essentially zero cost and the six and seven figure systems available from certain vendors.
Bottomline: the 1991 interests me and begs the question, “How has dtSearch been able to invest in new technology and offer such a compelling price point?” The answer to this question may instruct other content processing vendors so they avoid the financial pressures that companies like Delphes, Nstein, and others have experienced.
Stephen E Arnold, April 14, 2010
No one paid me to write this.
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