Integrating structured data and text: A relational approach

We integrate structured data and text using the unchanged, standard relational model. We started with the premise that a relational system could be used to implement an information retrieval (IR) system. After implementing a prototype to verify that premise, we then began to investigate the performance of a parallel relational database system for this application. We also tested the effect of query reduction on accuracy and found that queries can be reduced prior to their implementation without incurring a significant loss in precision/recall. This reduction also serves to improve run-time performance. After comparing our results to a special purpose IR system, we conclude that the relational model offers scalable performance and includes the ability to integrate structured data and text in a portable fashion.