Flaw in Enterprise Search
In the vast world of information retrieval, finding what you're looking for can sometimes feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. This challenge is where the concept of hybrid search shines, offering a powerful solution by combining two distinct search methodologies: lexical search and semantic search.
Imagine you're in a library, and someone approaches you, asking for a specific book. However, they're vague and can't remember the title. As a librarian, you're faced with the challenge of helping them find the book with limited information. This scenario mirrors the complexity of search engines, where users often provide incomplete or ambiguous queries.
In this situation, you might ask the person if they remember any specific words from the title or the author's name. This approach is similar to lexical search, where the search engine looks for exact matches of the keywords in the search query within the indexed documents. It's a quick and efficient way to filter through large volumes of data to find relevant information.
Suppose someone is looking for the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" but only remembers part of the title, such as "Mockingbird." Using lexical search, they can search for "Mockingbird" in a library catalog or online bookstore, and the search engine would match the keyword to the title of the book, helping them find the correct book quickly.
