IDOL Category Component 23.4

# Set up a Synonym Server

A synonym server is an IDOL Content component in which you index documents that define synonyms, rather than ordinary document content.

In most cases, OpenText recommends that you use Query Manipulation Server (QMS) to manage your synonyms and perform synonym queries. In QMS, you use the Promotion Agentstore (a specially configured IDOL Content component) to store synonym documents. You query QMS, which manages retrieving the synonyms and modifying the query text. It then forwards the modified query to your data Content component and returns the results.

The synonym server approach is similar, but you must manage the synonym query process in your Front End component.

The following sections describe how to set up and use a synonym server:

- Install the Synonym Server

- Create and Index Synonym Documents

- Perform Synonym Searches with a Synonym Server

For more information about how to use synonyms in QMS, refer to the Query Manipulation Server Administration Guide.

## Install the Synonym Server

Install and configure an IDOL Content component as normal. For details about how to install the component, refer to the IDOL Getting Started Guide.

If you install the synonym server on the same machine as existing IDOL components, you must ensure that the servers use different ports.

## Create and Index Synonym Documents

In the synonym IDOL Content component, each document in an IDX file describes a list of synonymous terms. You can create synonym files by using an IDOL Connector to crawl a thesaurus Website, or by creating the files manually.

The following table describes the main fields that you use in the synonym documents.

Field | Description
--- | ---
`#DREREFERENCE` | A unique reference string for the synonym document. Usually this reference is a file name, URL, or unique code number.
`#DRECONTENT` | A list of associated single words, separated by carriage returns or spaces (you cannot list phrases).
`#DREENDDOC` | A delimiter that indicates the end of the document.

For example:

    #DREREFERRENCE Syn1.txt
    #DRECONTENT cat feline grimalkin moggy mouser tabby kitten
    #DREENDDOC
    #DREREFERRENCE Syn2.txt
    #DRECONTENT dog cur hound mongrel mutt pooch puppy
    #DREENDDOC

If you use a Connector to create the synonym file, the connector can also index the documents. If you create the file manually, you can index it by using a `DREADD` index action. See DREADD: Index IDX and XML Files Directly.

## Perform Synonym Searches with a Synonym Server

The following procedure describes how to perform a synonym search. Normally, you set up a front end interface to perform these steps.

To perform synonym searches

1. Process the original user query text, and send queries to the Synonym Content component for each of the query terms. For example, if the original query text is Felix is a great mouser, you must send queries to the Synonym Server for Felix, great, and mouser.

   For example:

       http://synonymServerHost:synonymServerPort/action=Query&Text=Felix
       http://synonymServerHost:synonymServerPort/action=Query&Text=great
       http://synonymServerHost:synonymServerPort/action=Query&Text=mouser

   Each query returns any synonym documents that contains the term.

2. For terms where the synonym query returns a synonym document, extract the content of the synonym document. Modify the query string to include the list of synonyms. OpenText recommends that you use the `SYNONYM` operator in the modified query (see The SYNONYM Operator).

   For example, you might change mouser to `SYNONYM(cat feline grimalkin moggy mouser tabby kitten)`.

3. Send the modified query string to the main Content component:

       http://IDOLhost:port/action=Query&Text=Felix is a great SYNONYM(cat feline grimalkin moggy mouser tabby kitten)

   This query returns documents that conceptually match the term mouser, as well as documents that conceptually match any of the terms that the synonym server returns as synonyms. The use of the `SYNONYM` operator means that Content calculates the query result relevance scores as if all the synonyms are a single term.

Copyright 2023 Open Text
Version 23.4 | Last updated September 2023

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Product: IDOL IDOL Category Component 23.4

Topic Title: Set up a Synonym Server