Search Tools Product Reports

Albert Searcher

Product Information

Platform: Linux (Intel), Sparc Solaris 2.7, any Posix-compliant Unix on request
Price: starts at $50,000 based upon number of documents, sites and usage.

• Indexes HTML, text, XML, PDF, Microsoft Office and most legacy file formats
• Code library can interface with Oracle, Sybase, mySQL, PostgreSQL, Informix, MS-SQL Server, ODBC and dBase formats
• Can also read non-structured data and Web pages
• Multilingual: handles over 60 Latin character languges, enhanced support for English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Czech, and Portuguese
• Natural-language query processing
• Analyzes queries for misspellings and typos.
• Can learn words and concepts from documents
• Federated search support for Verity K2, FAST Data Search

Articles & Reviews

• Searching for Value in Search Technology (subscribers only) Gilbane Report Vol 10, Num 7, September 2002 by Sebastian HoltI
  Report on the search engine market highlights innovative companies inlcuding Albert's natural language approach. Approves of the goal to drive adoption rates, with a friendly interface encouraging employees to use Intranet search.
  
  
• Albert aims to reduce search engine frustration Infoconomy; May 4 2001 by James Thompson
  Overview of the company background and technology, with some information on business strategies.
  
  
• Search Engine Offers Natural Language Searching ResearchBuzz; June 28 2001 by Tara Calishain
  Evaluation of the technology in the public site by a leading search analyst. Newsletter readers later reported their results.
  
  
• Fast Albert: Smooth Swiss Search Information World Review, May 2001 by Steve Arnold
  Long-time search expert Steve Arnold provides a lighthearted discussion of Albert's techniques and approach, with particular appreciation for the management team and company's attention to end-user needs. However, there are no test reports or evaluation of the quality of the system.
  
  
• Albert and Fast Search & Transfer Form Strategic Alliance to Market Integrated Natural Language Query Search Engine (Press Release) April 4, 2000
  Explains how FAST plans to integrate the Albert natural language search features.
  
  
• In search of the right engine PC World; October 29, 1999 by Tom Spring
  Contrasts the Albert personalization tools to other webwide search engines.

Examples

• Free.fr -- very large French portal and search engine