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| dtSearch Product Suite 6.0 | |
| About three
years ago, I started a quest for a way to access and search through case
documents and data files on the server in my office without actually being
in the office. This meant making the files accessible through the firm’s
intranet. I created a simple Web page with hyperlinks to the case files and
posted it to the firm’s intranet. With this, I could access the case files
and document images from virtually anywhere I could access the firm’s
intranet. The next step was to find a solution to the time-consuming task of reviewing the thousands of case files for specific data. I first looked at traditional legal databases, such as Concordance and Summation, but they didn’t incorporate well into Web applications. The hunt for an alternative to databases led me to Web-based search engines. With the exception of dtSearch, most products in this category are geared toward the Internet business user. DtSearch looked like it would fit well at a law firm or any other business with the need to access data from various locations. I installed it on the firm’s intranet server and created search engines for various cases, effectively enabling it to search correspondence, pleadings and production documents. It has been a timesaver. DtSearch markets several versions of its search engine, including a desktop version and a Web-based version. Advanced users take note: dtSearch can provide powerful query capabilities for those who have already placed large amounts of text-based files or images that have been optically character recognized (OCR) on hard drives. DtSearch desktop can be installed on the hard drive and used to search the files in seconds. DtSearch has different types of search capabilities including Boolean, synonyms, phonic, fuzzy logic and natural language. With the search engine’s sophistication, more advanced users will want to take advantage of the search capabilities to narrow their query results to pinpoint accuracy. On the flip side, users with little or no computer knowledge can enter simple words or phrases and still come up with excellent results. Installing dtSearch and creating the indexes that power the search engine are mildly difficult. However, I strongly recommend creating subdirectories on the hard drive or server and instructing dtSearch to index all files in each subdirectory. For example, you might want to create one subdirectory for correspondence and another for pleadings. You have freedom to determine the organization of this material whether in one large file or several smaller files. The dtSearch software effectively sets up a master file and an indexed word list. The program can read almost any text-based format, including HTML, PDF, XML, word processor, database, spreadsheet, e-mail, ZIP and other popular file types. It displays retrieved files with highlighted hits, along with (HTML and PDF) embedded links and images. Each addition or edit to the files can be updated automatically by activating the “Automatic Update” in the Windows Task Schedule List. Proprietary indexing and searching algorithms provide unrivaled power and capabilities. The algorithms allow for fast indexing and searching performance even with extremely large and diverse collections of documents. DtSearch offers more than two dozen indexed and unindexed text search options. Search features include a scrolling list of indexed words; fuzzy search level, adjustable from one to 10 using a proprietary fuzzy search algorithm; concept searching (including a customizable, extensive built-in thesaurus); natural language searching with advanced relevancy ranking by “hit” density; Boolean (and/or/not); proximity; variable term weighting; stemming; field; and range. These are more options than most users need. In other words, the program raises the bar in text retrieval, providing an industrial strength search engine that is an absolute must-have for Web-based data information management. Indexing the search engine is relatively easy. You select the “Add Folders” option in the “Index” dialog box, and the program will then proceed to complete the index. Once it completes an index, it can update it automatically using the Windows Task Scheduler to reflect additions, deletions and modifications to your document collection. On my test system, the first index was completed in about 10 minutes, and it indexed more than 2,000 files in a single data folder that contained all data files in various formats. The inescapable conclusion is dtSearch outmaneuvers the competition. It’s a robust, sophisticated and powerful text-search tool at a bargain price for offices that need to manage mountains of text. If you want speed and accuracy, dtSearch is the only way to go. |
dtSearch Corporation
Price: $199 for single user. Reviewed by Paul D. Pollard, director of litigation support for Fish & Richardson in San Diego. PROS CONS VERDICT |
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