Eric Dixon's Search Blog

My blog covers search related topics for the SharePoint Online, SharePoint 2016, SharePoint 2013, FASTSearch for SharePoint 2010, and FAST ESP search engines.

With the wide availability of AI, a great way to enrich and improve your search experience is to...

Date: 04/19/2018

SharePoint Search: – “Why are my results so bad?” Part 2 - PDFs vs. Office Documents

In a previous post, I discussed why search results can seem so bad.  Honestly, labeling results as...

Date: 04/21/2017

SharePoint 2013/2016 Search: When standard architecture won't work for you

Customers often ask, "Will this search architecture work for me?"  What then follows is a screen...

Date: 02/27/2017

Relevant Relevancy Changes in SharePoint 2013 Sept and Oct 2016 CUs

Two recent features were added to the Search Service Application that can have an impact on...

Date: 01/04/2017

SharePoint 2013 Search: Even Better Best Bets with Exact Matching

First, full credit goes to Mikael Svenson and Petter Skodvin-Hvammen for the original solution. This...

Date: 10/23/2015

SharePoint 2013 Search: How clicks change relevancy and rank scoring

If you've ever looked at rank log or the ExplainRank.aspx page, you may have noticed that term...

Date: 09/03/2015

SharePoint 2013 Search: Full-Text Index and Context Weight Groups - What is wrong with my rank model?

Note (4/25/16): I've updated the recommended context listed at the bottom of this blog based on new...

Date: 08/10/2015

SharePoint 2013 Search: People Search – “Why are my results so bad?” Understanding Relevancy, the Rank Model, Full-Text Index, Fuzzy Matching, and Social Distance

I’ve heard this question come up enough now that I think it warrants deeper examination.  Several...

Date: 06/03/2015

SharePoint 2013 Search: Ranked Result Blocks – The Definitive Answer

I’ve been stumped for a long time on how Ranked Result Blocks really work. When creating a...

Date: 04/02/2015

SharePoint 2013 Search: Managing Query Rules with PowerShell

One thing I've noticed about Query Rules, Search Admins are really good at creating Query Rules......

Date: 03/19/2015

SharePoint 2013 Search: Data Normalization using Query Rules and Variables

SharePoint 2013 Search administrators have asked me several times, "How can I match the data...

Date: 03/09/2015