On the design and evaluation of a multi-dimensional approach to information retrieval

Abstract

We present a method of searching text collections that takes advantage of hierarchrical information within documents and integrates searches of structured and unstructured data. We show that Multidimensional databases (MDB), designed for accessing data along hierarchical dimensions, are effective for information retrieval. We demonstrate a method of using On-Line Analytic Processing (OLAP) techniques on a text collection. This combines traditional information retrieval and the slicing, dicing, drill-down, and roll-up of OLAP. We demonstrate use of a prototype for searching documents from the TREC collection.