Preface

This manual explains the SQL*Plus and PL/SQL tools you use to issue text and theme queries with Oracle8 ConText Cartridge and how to enable users to view queried documents. It also explains how to generate document summaries using the linguistic capabilities of Oracle8 ConText Cartridge.

Audience

This document is intended for an application designer, application programmer, or systems analyst responsible for designing and developing text query applications using the facilities provided by ConText.

It is also applicable to the user responsible for managing text in a ConText application. Such users could also include DBAs or system administrators.

Prerequisites

This document assumes that you have experience with the Oracle relational database management system, SQL, SQL*Plus, and PL/SQL. See the documentation provided with your hardware and software for additional information.

If you are unfamiliar with the Oracle RDBMS and related tools, read Chapter 1, "A Technical Introduction to the Oracle Server", in the Oracle8 Server Concepts Manual. The chapter is a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and terminology used throughout Oracle documentation.

Related Publications

For more information about ConText, see:

For more information about the Oracle8 server, see:

For more information about PL/SQL, see:

PL/SQL User's Guide and Reference.

How To Use This Manual

This manual is designed to be used by application developers to produce text retrieval applications for end users.

Specific tasks in the application design process depend on the type and complexity of the application being developed, but in general, the development process consists of six tasks:

Analyzing user requirements
Designing the application
Developing a ConText application
Estimating data storage requirements for the application
Creating the ConText system environment with the database administrator
Tuning the application's performance

This book only deals with developing a ConText application and tuning the application's performance. All the information necessary to develop and maintain ConText applications is covered in the following chapters.

The Oracle8 ConText Cartridge Administrator's Guide contains information about creating and maintaining the system environment to support ConText applications. The administrator's guide and the application developer's guide are designed to be used together.

How This Manual Is Organized

Chapter 1: Query Concepts

This chapter defines the concepts of querying text and themes with ConText.

Chapter 2: Query Methods

This chapter describes and compares the different query methods.

Chapter 3: Understanding Query Expressions

This chapter describes the various operators you can use to build query expressions.

Chapter 4: Theme Queries

This chapter describes how to issue theme queries.

Chapter 5: Query Expression Feedback

This chapter describes query expression feedback.

Chapter 6: Document Presentation

This chapter describes how to create highlighted output from a text or theme query and how to present highlighted documents to users.

Chapter 7: Linguistic Concepts

This chapter describes what is linguistic output and what are the requirements for producing this output.

Chapter 8: Using ConText Linguistics

This chapter describes how to create linguistic output, including managing the service queue and combining theme/text queries with linguistic output.

Chapter 9: SQL Functions

This reference chapter describes the SQL functions you can use with ConText.

Chapter 10: PL/SQL Packages

This reference chapter describes the procedures and functions included in the PL/SQL packages shipped with ConText.

Appendix A: Result Tables

This appendix describes the schema for the result tables used for issuing text and theme queries, highlighting text, and creating linguistic output.

Appendix B: SQL*Plus Sample Code

This appendix contains explanations of the demonstration applications distributed with ConText.

Appendix C: Stopword Transformations

This appendix lists all ConText stopword transformations.

Type Conventions

This book adheres to the following type conventions:

Type	Meaning
Uppercase	Uppercase letters indicate Oracle commands, standard database objects and constants, and standard Oracle PL/SQL procedures.
Lowercase Italics	Italics indicate variable names, PL/SQL parameter names, table names, view names and the names of example PL/SQL procedures.
Monospace	Monospace type indicate example SQL*Plus commands and example PL/SQL code. Type in the command or code exactly as it appears.

Customer Support

You can reach Oracle Worldwide Customer Support 24 hours a day.

In the USA: 1.415.506.1500

In Europe: + 44.344.860.160

Please be prepared to supply the following information:

your CSI number
This helps Oracle Corporation track problems for each customer.
the release numbers of the Oracle Server and associated products
the operating system name and version number
details of error numbers and descriptions
Write down the exact errors.
a description of the problem
a description of the changes made to the system

Your Comments Are Welcome

Please use the Reader's Comment Form to convey your comments to us. You can also contact us at:

Documentation Manager,
ConText Group
Server Technologies
Oracle Corporation
500 Oracle Parkway
Redwood Shores, California 94065
Phone: 1.650.506.7000 FAX: 1.650.506.7360
E-mail: infotext@us.oracle.com