Special Edition Using Microsoft® SharePoint Portal Server

Ranking Results

In response to a user query, it is important to return the relevant information first. This can become a challenge, as user queries tend to be fairly short. Typically only a few terms are specified, and therefore returning meaningful results is certainly a challenge. But again, the work of Microsoft's Research Labs comes to the rescue. They have developed an algorithm known as an Okapi ranking or probabilistic ranking that weights the frequency of words relative to document length and their overall occurrence in the system. For example, when searching for the words “Windows” and “Paint” on the Microsoft Developer Network, “Paint” is more relevant than “Windows”, while on a construction company site, “Windows” may be more relevant. ...