Oracle Context Option Application Developer's Guide

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Preface

This manual explains how to develop ConText Option applications that locate documents relevant to a user's needs, retrieve those documents, display them, and create precise summaries of the document content.

Audience

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

It may also be applicable to the user responsible for managing text in a ConText Option 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 Oracle7 Server Concepts Manual. The chapter is a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and terminology used throughout Oracle documentation.

Related Publications

For more information about Oracle ConText Option, see:

Oracle ConText Option QuickStart

Oracle ConText Option Administrator's Guide

Oracle ConText Option Messages

For more information about the Oracle7 server, see:

Oracle7 Server Concepts

Oracle7 Server Administrator's Guide

Oracle7 Server Utilities

Oracle7 Server Tuning

Oracle7 Server SQL Reference

Oracle7 Server Application Developer's Guide

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 Option application

Estimating data storage requirements for the application

Creating the Context Option system environment with the database administrator

Tuning the application's performance

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

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

How This Manual Is Organized

Introduction

This section describes the ConText Option, defines text applications, and identifies the application design and development process.

Part I ConText Option Applications

This section is specifically related to query applications. The first chapter defines the concepts of text processing used by ConText Option. The second chapter describes how the query components of the ConText Option work and how to build query expressions to locate relevant documents. The third chapter describes how to perform Theme Queries. The final chapter of this section explains how to retrieve and view selected documents.

Part II Linguistics

This section describes the Linguistics capabilities of the ConText Option. The first chapter defines linguistics concepts implemented in ConText Option. The second chapter describes how to use Linguistic Services.

Part III Sample Applications

This section contains explanations of each of the demonstration applications distributed with the ConText Option.

Part IV Reference Guide

This section contains detailed information about using all of the facilities, procedures, and capabilities of ConText Option.

Document Conventions

This document uses the following conventions.

Type Conventions

Following are the type conventions:

italics

Italics type indicates a variable or emphasis. It also indicates the variable portion of a filename

UPPERCASE

Uppercase letters indicate Oracle commands, database objects, and environment variables (e.g. ORACLE_HOME).

Command Syntax

Commands appear in monospace type. Enter information precisely as it appears. Following are the syntax conventions for commands:

backslash \

A backslash indicates a command line that is too long to fit on the printed page. Enter the line as a single line without a backslash.

dd if=/dev/rdsk/c0t1d0s6 of=/dev/rst0 \ bs=10b count=10000

ellipsis ...

An ellipsis indicates an arbitrary number of similar items.

CHKVAL fieldname value1 value2 ... valueN

italics

Italics type indicates a variable. Substitute a value for the variable.

arg1

Special Icons

The following special icons alert you to particular information in this manual:

Attention: This symbol indicates that significant information requires special attention alerting the reader to specific usage, requirements, or cautions about ConText Option.

Suggestion: The lightbulb indicates suggestions and practical tips that could save time or make using ConText Option easier.

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 at the back of this document to convey your comments to us. You can also contact us at:

Documentation Manager,
ConText Server Group
Server Technologies
Oracle Corporation
500 Oracle Parkway
Box 659510
Redwood Shores, California 94065
Phone: 1.415.506.7000 FAX: 1.415.506.7360
E-mail: infotext@us.oracle.com

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