Users may search for data locally or remotely via the types of search that are available on the system.
The system currently supports:
These different kinds of search are not always mutually-exclusive, but interact with one another in various ways. For example, while search by keyword may be different than search by example, search by keyword may be used by other searches, such as search by OAI-PMH.
In addition, some kinds of search are very closely related, such as the search by example, search by type, and search by periodic table.
Remote searches (i.e., federated and OAI-PMH search types) require that a given system is first configured by the system's Adminstrator in order to be able to search for records and resources on other systems. This can be achieved by following instructions in other chapters of this manual in order to perform the configurations necessary both on this system as well as on any other remote system with which it must coordinate in order to perform the search processes.
Local searches merely search for records that are stored and accessible to the given users on the local (current) system, not requiring any remote system access/coordination in order to execute the search.
In both cases, though, whether performing local or remote searches, the process of perform the search is essentially the same.
The Search by Keyword application allows users to enter keywords they'd like to search for into a query interface. Before any search can execute, however, a user much indicate/select which systems they wish to include in the search. This includes not only the current/local system (for local searches), but also any remote systems that have been configured and prepared to support remote searching.
Search by Example, Search by Type, and Search by Periodic Table, while related in function, differ from Search by Keyword in the kinds of objects they are searching for. However, they are identical to Search by Keyword regarding the need, for each query, to specify what system(s) are available for searching.