The federated search engine lets you optimize the exploration of results by personalizing the ranking of relevance, displaying the results by sources, consulting the detailed view and exporting.

Results display in the order in which they arrive, as soon as the federated search engine has obtained them from the information sources. Click on the Score link to sort the results by relevance. You can also click on the field Title to sort the results by alphabetical order of titles. If you want to display only the results for a specific source, click on its title in the sources zone on the left side. To consult the detailed view, click on the magnifying glass (the circle with the "+" sign) located in the Content box. While in the detailed view you can also export the results in various formats.

Personalizing the ranking of relevance

The relevance of results - indicated on the right side in the results window - is calculated by the federated search engine based on the link between the results and the query. Translated into percentage points, the relevance is illustrated with stars: three stars for a score above 80%, two stars for 60% to 80%, one star for 40% to 60% and no star for a score below 40%.

You can personalize the ranking of relevance by modifying the search profile. This function lets you sort the results on the basis of a subset. For example, if your search gave you 30 similar results, you can click on the plus sign (+) of one of them to make it and the other similar results be displayed at the top of the list. If you click on the minus sign (-), the selected result and the similar results will be displayed at the end of the list.

You can also use personalized relevance ranking to refine your search.

1. Click on the icon of the profile (beside the Score) link.
   The personalized relevance window will display.
2. Select a term from the profile in the plus column (+) or the minus column (-).
   Click on the plus sign (+) to select all the terms.
3. The selected term will now appear in the query definition.
   The search relaunches automatically.

Display of results by source

The sources zone located on the left of the results window displays the title of each of the sources that provided results with the number of generated results. In order for all sources to appear, it is important to click on Refresh. If you wish to consult the results for a specific source, click on its title. Only its results will be displayed. To return to the display of all results, click on All results.

Detailed view

You can use the detailed view to display all the results with their constituent attributes. The detailed view lets you sort the results by any of the following attributes: Title, Selection, Source and Score.

Since the detailed view displays the whole content of the results, you can do a search using your web browser ("Search" function) in the text of all the displayed results.

To open the detailed view, you have to click on the magnifying glass icon (the circle with the "+" sign) at the top right of the results area.

Exporting

You can use the export function to save your search results in the following formats: html, xml, PDF and Excel.

To export your search results, use the following procedure:

1. Click on the magnifying glass at the top right of the results area.
   The detailed view displays.
2. Select the results you want to export by checking the box beside each record or choosing the All Results option.
3. Click on the Export icon to generate the report.
   The Export Configuration window displays.
4. Select the type of report you want to generate (html, xml, PDF or Excel).
5. Click on OK.

Renaming a search

You can give a search the name of your choice. To rename a search:

1. Go to the Results page.
2. Click on the underlined name beside the status bar (for example: Query-1). A dialogue window will open.
3. Enter the new name.
4. Validate the name by clicking on OK.

Characteristics of some results

Confusion between surnames and place names

Some searches may yield results that have little to do with the search. For instance, a search for the surname Mackenzie could yield documents on the Mackenzie River or the town of Mackenzie in British Columbia.

Results and lists

Some databases are organized in lists. The results of a search in these lists will not necessarily yield the specific search item. Scroll through the list to find the name you need.

New search

To perform a new search, click on the New search button to clear the search field, instead of just typing in the new query. However, resetting the search field reverts to the default source and preference settings.